Stoned
by Little Bit of Frog
Summary: An heiress hires Dirk, Todd, and Farah to uncover the mystery of an ancient stone. When the stone has unexpected effects, Amanda and the rest of the Rowdy 3 show up to help. Bart helps a subject escape Blackwing. Ken has to decide how to deal with what Bart has done, and Bart has to decide how to deal with Ken. Post Season 2. Rated for some language.
1. Chapter 1

Post Season 2. I do not own these characters, I'm just a fan who enjoys writing about them.

* * *

It was unusually hot for the time of year. The sweat on the glass of pink lemonade had dribbled down into a pool of water on the coaster Farah insisted Dirk use.

The detective sighed heavily as he loosened his tie. This was a terrible time for the office air conditioner to break. Dirk lifted his arms and let the fan air out the damp spots under his arms. Maybe a long sleeve shirt was a mistake. Though Dirk wanted to look like a professional when people came into his office, and he couldn't quite fathom the tie with a short-sleeved shirt.

The door opened and in walked Todd, who had no problem wearing a t-shirt to work, and Farah, who looked both lovely and professional in a lightweight blouse. Dirk found himself wondering if there was such a functional and attractive shirt option for men.

"How's the air conditioner?" asked Dirk.

Todd unceremoniously dumped his small toolbox on the table. "We may have to call someone." He said.

"Which," said Farah "is what I said exactly one hour and forty-seven minutes ago when we first looked at it. It was clearly beyond the youtube tutorial and should not have been attempted without professional supervision."

"We didn't know that until we tried." Said Todd.

"No, actually I did know. It was nothing like the problem we anticipated, it was clearly beyond our skill level, and your tinkering took what was probably a very fixable problem into a whole new level issue. And you hurt yourself."

Todd looked over at Dirk. "It wasn't that bad."

Farah crossed her arms. "Bleeding stopped yet?"

"Mostly." He muttered.

"I'll call a repairman." Said Dirk as he crossed into the next room to use the landline. There was something charming and romantic about having a landline. He flipped open the phone book he'd found at the door of the office. He happened to glance up and saw Todd and Farah in the other room. Farah reached over and took Todd's hand, which had a rag wrapped around it where he had been hurt. She unwrapped it and looked at the wound.

It was a perfectly normal gesture. One that she would have done towards Dirk if he had been the one injured. But it was somehow different. Dirk couldn't exactly place it. He wasn't very good at interpreting nonverbal communication, so he noticed nothing for a long time. Then it clicked. He saw the connection, even if he didn't totally understand what it meant. The way she cradled his hand. The way he moved towards her instead of pulling away. How he was looking at her face instead of his injured hand. Dirk knew the two of them had had some romantic encounters during their time on the run together. They never talked about it. The only reason Dirk knew at all was because they told him when they were under the love spell. It's not that they seemed ashamed of it. It was more… well, he really wasn't sure. He'd catch them sometimes exchanging looks he didn't understand. Or he'd walk into a room and they would suddenly move away from each other when they saw him. The last time Amanda was in town, she and Dirk talked about it. They could hear Todd laughing from the other room. Farah's musical laugh followed.

Amanda rolled her eyes. "Good lord. It's like listening to mating calls in the wild. Are they always like this?"

"I'm not sure what you mean by 'like this', but seeing as they are behaving exactly the same way I've come to expect, I will say yes."

"Why don't they just get it over with?" asked Amanda.

"Get what over with?"

"This… thing. This attraction to each other that they won't really acknowledge but can't seem to shake."

Dirk looked over at Amanda. "Why don't they then? If they both want to date, why not go for it?"

"I said they were attracted to each other. That doesn't necessarily mean they want to date. And even if they do, a lot is at stake. They have a history together and this business and they're friends and weird stuff happens a lot in our world. And I can't speak for Farah, but Todd has a pretty abysmal track record when it comes to dating. As much as I wish they would just go for it, they're probably too scared of what could go wrong." She shrugged. "Or I guess, it could just be a chemical attraction thing."

"No." said Dirk "I don't think it is."

"Why not?" asked Amanda.

"Don't know. I just feel it."

Another round of laughs rose in the other room.

"It's annoying." Said Amanda.

Dirk shrugged. "I'm used to it."

As Dirk watched Farah bandage Todd's hand, he wondered about the unspoken conversation they were having. He reached for the phone and was almost touching the receiver when it rang. He took a moment to collect himself from being startled, and then answered.

"Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. What strange or seemingly trivial situation can we assist you with today?"

* * *

Todd was thankful for the air conditioner in the car. So thankful in fact that he closed his eyes and happily blocked out the thought that Dirk was driving like a blindfolded puppy.

"Do you miss driving?" Dirk asked.

That pulled Todd out of the moment. "What?"

"Do you miss it? I mean, you used to drive a lot before you got sick, didn't you? Is it difficult, you know, not… anymore?"

Todd tensed up. It was one of the questions he preferred not to think about. One of the most infuriating things about Dirk was also one of the most endearing. He would ask the questions that other people wouldn't, but often needed to be asked.

"Yeah." He said "I miss it."

"You haven't had an attack in a while." Said Dirk. "Maybe we could go to a large parking lot or…"

"Thanks, but, it's not the same. And even without being on the road, it's just too dangerous to put me behind the wheel. I mean, that's a pretty huge what if."

"Is… is it hard? Not being able to do that anymore?"

Todd shrugged. "I mean, when it first happened, I was with Farah trying to get away from Blackwing and she had all the training if we encountered trouble, so it made sense for her to drive. By the time it would have even been an option for me, the list of things I missed in my life went way beyond driving. And then we found you and Amanda and life got easier and I guess I'm mostly just relieved that life is better now."

"Is it?" Dirk asked. "Better, I mean."

A small smile made its way across Todd's face. "Well, yeah. I mean, I have a cool job, even if it is sometimes terrifying. I have you and Farah in my life. Amanda is happy doing her thing and actually speaking to me again. My disease is mostly manageable. Blackwing is leaving us alone. I feel like things are pretty good."

Dirk smiled that weird smile he did where he looked like he was so happy he could cry. It made Todd slightly uncomfortable since he wasn't sure if he was supposed to smile back or comfort him or what. So instead, he changed the subject.

"You left Farah the address, right? In case her thing ends early."

"Yes. Though I don't think she will. She seemed to feel that her meeting with her contact was more important than coming along with us."

Todd shrugged. "Well, she's been meeting with him periodically since we got back. He's been good about keeping her updated on weird government stuff."

"Are you worried?" asked Dirk.

"About what?" asked Todd.

"About how much time she is spending with him."

Todd glared at Dirk. "He's her brother!" Then he quickly added "Not that it matters. She can meet whoever she wants. That's her business."

Dirk rolled his eyes. Todd had noticed that his eye rolls were reminding him more and more of Amanda's. "I mean what he may have found that is causing them to meet so often. Also, he's not exactly fond of you. More time spent with him will not work in your favor."

It was Todd's turn to do an Amanda eye roll.

They finally pulled up to the estate. The home was old and expensive and made of brick. There was a simple, but exquisitely maintained yard full of trees older than the home, and cobblestone paths that snaked through the gardens.

An ancient butler greeted them wordlessly at the door. He led them through the home at his hobbling, slow pace. Todd tried to memorize the path back, but after countless twists and turns, he gave up and hoped they would not have to exit the place quickly.

Two heavy, wooden doors led to a library. Sitting at an antique desk was an old woman. She stood to greet them. Todd guessed she was in her early 80s. She was tiny and frail looking, but she still moved with a bit of youthful spark.

"Which of you gentlemen is Dirk Gently?" she asked.

"That would be me." Said Dirk as he stepped forward to shake her hand. "This is my assistant, Todd."

She shook Todd's hand and he couldn't help but notice all the jewels on her fingers. It made him a little anxious to be that close to such expensive jewelry. How could she not be terrified of someone trying to take a ring that would cost him a years rent? He didn't even like walking around with $100 in his pocket for fear of it being lost or stolen.

He also noticed that her hands were shaking, thought he was pretty certain it was not from age. She was afraid of something.

"Please." She said as she gestured to the two empty chairs at the desk. "Can Fredrick get you anything?"

"No, ma'am." Said Dirk "We just want to know why you called us."

The woman nodded and gestured to her butler, who brought a wooden box that he set on the table. The box looked old, but meticulously maintained. Like a prize exhibit in a museum. It was covered in intricate carvings in a language Todd had never seen.

"My father," she said "was an archaeologist. He traveled the world uncovering ancient civilizations. Go to any noteworthy museum and you will see the spoils of his travels." The woman paused and looked at them. "I want you to understand that my father was not a thief. He took all discoveries to the proper authorities. Our family fortune was partly inheritance and partly from his books and lectures on archaeology. He never kept the valuables he found. Except for this."

Her eyes fell to the box before her. Todd felt a shiver and hoped it was just a draft.

"He never told anyone what it was or where he found it. If he hadn't died unexpectedly, I don't know that I would have ever found it at all those many years ago."

"What is it?" Todd asked.

"A stone." She said "I had no idea why he kept it. Then I found the notes. Books upon books of notes my father wrote down. At first, I thought they were the stories about the people groups he was studying. But the words didn't sound like him. If not for the handwriting, I'd never have suspected they were his notebooks."

"How are those connected to the stone?" asked Dirk, who looked entirely too excited about the story.

"At first, I thought it wasn't. And then, I started having these amazingly realistic dreams. Then vivid daydreams. And I realized they were about the people and stories in the notebooks, including ones I had not yet read."

Dirk grabbed Todd's wrist under the desk. Dirk's eyes were still on the box, but his hand was squeezing Todd's wrist so hard that it was cutting off circulation.

Todd twisted his arm away from Dirk's grip. "Why did you call us?" he asked.

"I admit, you are not the first. I have, on several occasions over several decades, hired people to try and help me understand the mystery of this artifact. I will warn you, strange things happen to those who have encountered the stone."

Todd swallowed. "What kind of strange things?"

"Besides the dreams and the voices, there are those who seemed honest, who tried to steal it from me and pretend to have no knowledge that I ever gave it to them. One man vanished and left the stone behind. I tracked him down many years later living in another country under a false name. Another brought it back to me and begged me to take it and never revealed why. Even my dear Fredrick lost his ability to speak as a result of the stone." She lowered her gaze. "I would understand completely if you did not want to take this case."

Todd felt himself leaning away from the box. Unlike Dirk, who was leaning towards it.

"What of the box?" Dirk asked.

"It appears to shield the outside world from its effects. Open the lid… well, that is when unusual things begin to happen."

Dirk reached for Todd's wrist again and Todd swatted his hand away.

"I want to know what it is that my father found." She said as she pushed the box towards them.

If Todd leaned any further back, his chair would have tipped over.

"Of course!" said Dirk as he excitedly reached for the box.

The old woman placed her hand on his. "Be careful." She said "I truly have no idea what this could be capable of." She looked him in the eye. "I'm told that you have a talent for uncovering the truth in… unusual situations."

"Don't worry." Said Dirk "This mystery is as good as solved."

* * *

Farah stood silently at the rendezvous point. She felt his presence before she saw him.

"Hello, Eddie."

"Farah." He said as she turned to him.

"What is it?" she asked "You never ask to meet this close together."

He looked around in a way that looked casual to the untrained eye, but Farah knew there was nothing casual about it. He was worried they were being watched.

"Blackwing. Watch out. I know they have been leaving you alone for a while, but I have reason to believe that your safety may be in danger."

"What evidence do you have?"

"None." He said "A hunch."

"A hunch? You called me in here in person for a hunch."

He narrowed his gaze. "I've been watching them for a while. Which has not been easy. I've never tracked a group so good at keeping their real activities hidden. It's a miracle I ever found them in the first place. And their moves are shifting. There is a balance of power that is about to tip. I strongly believe that this will put you and your 'friends', in danger."

"Anything more specific I can go on?" she asked.

"No."

"Well, good talk. I'll be sure to keep my eyes open." She began to walk away.

"Farah." He said. She paused and turned back to him. "I can still protect you. I still care about you. We can bury the hatchet between us and you can start over."

"I know." She said "Thank you. Goodbye."

Farah made it back to the office just as the repairmen were leaving. She walked into the room as the air conditioning kicked on. She began closing all of the office windows.

"Meow."

She looked over and saw a black cat that had pushed through the spot where the screen didn't fully attach to the window.

"Well, hello." She said as the cat approached her. It was cautious at first, and then began rubbing on her legs and purring.

"Poor thing." Farah said as she petted its fur. It looked thin. "Want some milk?" She walked to the office kitchenette and poured some coffee cream into a little bowl, which the cat lapped up hungrily.

Farah heard the door open and went to see who came in.

"This is a bad idea." Said Todd.

"Oh come on!" said Dirk "You know how this works. We don't choose the case. And I'm sure it's not really all that bad."

"What is it? Farah asked as she entered the main office.

"Dirk agreed to investigate an ancient, cursed, demon stone that makes people hallucinate or lose their ability to speak and had already driven multiple detectives insane." Said Todd with no small amount of agitation in his voice.

"Wait, what?" said Farah.

"It's fine." Said Dirk. "As long as it's in this box, it can't hurt us." He said as he placed it on the desk.

"We think." Todd corrected. "We have no way of knowing if that box will actually keep us safe. And it's from some old civilization and screws with people's heads and now we have it and what the hell is that thing doing here?!"

Farah saw that Todd was looking behind her. She turned and saw the cat enter the room and then it rubbed on her legs and meowed. Dirk and Todd were frozen in fear.

"Farah," Todd said quietly "stay calm. Don't move."

"What?" said Farah "It's a cat."

"It's not a cat." Said Dirk "Don't make any sudden moves."

Just then, a rock crashed through the window. Farah and Todd jumped, Dirk screamed, and the cat transformed into a shark.

* * *

Todd ducked as the electric ghost shark flew over his head. Thankfully, it seemed more startled than angry, so it wasn't swooping down to kill. It did, however, crash into the desk. The box was falling. If it opened, who knew what kind of danger Farah and Dirk would be in. Todd dove for it and fumbled trying to get a firm grip. The shark made another pass over his head and he dropped underneath the falling box. He successfully caught it… upside down. The lid opened and the stone landed on his chest.

* * *

When the shark calmed down and turned back into a cat, Farah immediately got up off the floor to assess the situation. The cat ran back into the kitchen, probably to hide. Dirk was still curled up in a ball on the floor. Then she saw Todd. He was laying on his back, box at his side, and a green stone the size of a goose egg was on his chest.

Farah ran to him and saw he was trembling and his eyes were darting rapidly back and forth.

She reached for the stone and Dirk grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away.

"The box is safe!" he cried.

Farah picked up the box and carefully scooped the stone into it and closed the lid. Todd's eyes immediately rolled up into his head as he passed out.

So much strangeness had happened over the course of 30 seconds that Farah didn't know what to address first.

"The shark." Said Farah "We have to secure the shark before it hurts anyone."

Dirk nodded. "I'll stay with Todd."

Farah walked quietly into the kitchenette and saw the cat cowering under a table. She reached into a drawer and took out the sleeping pills her doctor prescribed but she never took. She opened the capsules and added it to a new bowl of cream. The cat crept out and began to drink. Eventually, it stretched and went to sleep. Farah took out an animal carrier that Dirk kept around "just in case" and gently placed the cat inside. It wouldn't do much good if it decided to shark out again, but as long as it was calm, it would keep it contained. She then raced out to check on Todd.

"Is he alright?" she asked.

Dirk looked scared. "No idea. No change. Do we take him to a doctor? Tell them a magic rock fell on him and we don't know what to do?"

"Speaking of rocks," said Farah "who threw that one in the window? And why?"

Todd moaned and they both stared at him intently. He opened his eyes slowly and seemed to be unsure of what he was seeing.

"It's ok, Todd." Said Dirk "We all survived the shark attack."

"What?" said Todd.

"How do you feel?" asked Farah.

"Um… fine. I guess." He said as he glanced back and forth between them.

Farah reached for his hand and he pulled away.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

He stared at her. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"Well," said Dirk "we had a shark explosion and…"

Todd pushed himself up and scrambled away from them.

"Todd," said Farah "what is it?"

"How do you know my name?" he demanded.

Farah's eyes widened. "What?"

"You heard me!" he barked "Who are you?!"

* * *

Dirk was trying hard not to panic. Mostly because Todd seemed to be panicking enough for both of them. Todd was backing away from them, eyes wide with fear.

"Who are you? How do you know my name? Did you kidnap me?"

"Kidnap… Todd, we're your friends." Dirk gestured to himself. "I'm your best friend, Dirk. And this is Farah your… other… best friend?"

"Todd," Farah said gently "you know us. Don't you remember?"

Todd shook his head. "You're lying. I don't know either of you."

"Look," said Dirk "it's us. Your friends. Let's just all take a moment to breathe deeply and…"

Todd made a break for the door. It was so surprising that he almost made it. But Farah tackled him and pinned him to the floor.

"Let me go!" he screamed "My friends will be looking for me! They'll find me! You can't keep me here!"

"Snap out of it!" cried Farah "We're trying to help you!"

Todd was trying desperately to escape from Farah's iron strong hold.

Dirk pulled out his phone. "Here!" he said "This proves it!"

On the phone was a picture of the three of them together and smiling.

"It's us." Said Dirk "We went to the movies. Don't you remember? You got mad when I spilled your popcorn."

Todd stopped struggling and stared at the picture.

"That can't be me." He said in a shaky voice.

"Of course it is!" said Dirk as he began scrolling through the pictures. "Here you are eating tacos at the taco truck down the street. And here we all are in front of the agency sign. And here are you and Farah looking annoyed that I'm taking your picture. And here's last Christmas and…"

Farah released Todd, who snatched the phone and stared at the photo in his hands.

"That's not me." He repeated. "It can't be."

"Of course it is!" exclaimed Dirk "Who else could it be?"

Todd shoved the phone into Dirk's hand. "I don't look like that."

Farah looked at him. "What do you mean you don't look like that? You're Todd Brotzman, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Of course. And I can see the resemblance with that guy, but he's not me. I mean, you have to see the difference. Your friend must have realized we look a lot alike and started using my name. Maybe he's a fan or something. Just, please let me go." His eyes were pleading.

"This is you." Dirk said as he gestured to the picture. "How can you not see it?"

"How can you not see that I'm not? Please, please if you're looking for money, I'll get it from the band. But you have to let me go."

He looked so scared and he wasn't making any sense. Dirk had no idea what to do.

"Todd," said Farah slowly "what do you see?" She handed him a small mirror from her purse.

Todd looked confused, but he took the mirror and looked at his reflection. The level of horror that flashed over his face made Dirk feel sick.

"No…" Todd said quietly as he reached up and touched his face and his hair. "What happened?" he looked up and cried "What happened to me?"

"Just… calm down?" Dirk said, unsure of what else to say.

"Hold on." Said Farah "I have a theory. Todd, how old are you?"

"Nineteen." He answered.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Todd had stopped trying to escape. After nearly an hour of finding out it had been fifteen years, Dirk was a _not psychic_ psychic detective, his band had fallen apart, there was a cat/shark in the next room, and general stories of time travel, alternate dimensions, and soul swapping, he went into some sort of shock. He stared out the window as they drove him home to his apartment. He could hear that Dirk and Farah were speaking, but he had long stopped hearing what they were saying. He would occasionally catch a glance at his reflection in the window, which was somehow both familiar and strange.

How could so much have happened that he couldn't remember? Dirk was sure it had something to do with a rock that fell on him when another rock was thrown through the window and activated a shark ghost living in the cat. And he said it as though it somehow made sense. Todd could not wrap his head around what was happening to him.

They pulled up to an apartment building he didn't recognize. Todd felt numb as they led him up the steps and into a strange apartment. There was a group of people standing inside. They looked like some sort of biker gang.

"Todd," said the one woman in the rough looking group. She was small with long, black hair and brown eyes and was dressed in all black. She looked familiar somehow. "do you know who I am?"

He stared at her as she approached him. Something about her eyes…

"It's ok." She said "It's me. Amanda."

Todd felt the emotional numbness he had experienced in the car go back into panic. She'd been a child the last time he saw her. Now she was a woman. A woman significantly older than he was. Or at least, how old he remembered being.

"No." he said, backing up.

"It's ok." She said again as she reached for his hand. He pulled away.

"I don't believe you."

The four biker boys were all staring at him.

"Boss's brother isn't looking so good." Said the youngest of the group.

"OK," said Farah "too many bodies in here. Let's give Todd some room to breathe."

"Boys." Said Adult Amanda. It was apparently a command, and the gang nodded and left without a word. As soon as the door shut, Todd looked at Amanda.

"Family Reunion when we were kids. You did something humiliating and begged me to say I did it so that our cousins wouldn't tease you. I did and never told anyone the truth that it was really you. What was it?"

"I pooped in the pool."

"Really?" said Dirk "And he took the blame for that?"

"Well, he could be a good brother sometimes."

Todd held onto the back of the couch for support. He couldn't think. This was all so impossible.

"I… I need a minute." He darted into the bathroom and locked the door. After a moment standing with his back pressed against the door, he finally felt like he could gather his thoughts a bit. He could hear muffled voices outside.

 _Amanda. How can that be Amanda?_

And it wasn't like this was just amnesia. That he had woken up and been told he fell off a ladder and couldn't remember what had happened. That he might have been able to handle. But this was supernatural amnesia from a magic stone in a life that looked like it came out of a science fiction novel. It was too much. None of it could be real. Could it? But what was the alternative? That he was trapped in a terrifyingly real dream? That he was in the middle of a ridiculously elaborate kidnapping scheme? His band wasn't big enough to attract that level of crazy fan. And from what he was told, the band fell apart anyway. And why would anyone go to such strange and extreme lengths to convince him of this bizarre scenario?

He splashed his face with cold water. He took a moment, and then forced himself to look in the mirror.

His face had aged. Not as much as it could have, but it certainly lost some of that youthful smoothness. Not that it was necessarily a bad thing. He'd been using makeup to fill in his sparse facial hair for performances just so he could pass for over sixteen on stage. He had apparently developed enough facial hair that his five o'clock shadow actually looked like a legitimate style choice instead of a patchy mess. He'd finally lost that last bit of baby fat on his face, which made him look a lot more mature. He was glad of that. He wasn't sure why he had cut his hair so short. He pulled up his shirt. He was a bit disappointed that his fantasy that he would one day get really dedicated to developing that six pack never happened. But he had apparently stayed in shape.

"Still weird." He said out loud as he began pacing the bathroom, trying to figure out how to even begin to process what was happening. Then he smelled smoke. He stopped pacing and sniffed the air. He was about to ask the others if something was burning when he felt himself engulfed by flames.

* * *

"You told him everything?!" Amanda cried.

"No." said Dirk "Not everything. He shut down long before we got to zombies or wizards or Blackwing or vampires or time loops or…"

"Too much." Said Farah. "You told him too much."

"He asked questions! What was I supposed to do? Not answer them? I'm sorry, but how am I supposed to answer questions like 'how do I know you?' or 'what happened to my memories?' or 'why are there sparking bite marks on the ceiling?' without the strange being expressed?!"

"He kinda has a point." Said Amanda.

"He is beyond freaking out." Said Farah "And I know freaking out."

Amanda was pacing. "He's not ready for this. Todd at nineteen is nothing like the Todd you know. Maybe we can convince him this was a bad drug trip and start over. Ease him in."

"Ease him in? We have to fix him!" Farah exclaimed "We can't leave him like this!"

"We won't." said Dirk "The stone is the key. It took his memories, it can give them back."

"Are you sure?" asked Amanda.

Dirk was about to answer when they heard the scream.

Dirk grabbed the pills off of Todd's dresser as Farah kicked in the locked door. Todd was thrashing on the floor and screaming. They tried to get the pills in his mouth, but he was fighting too hard.

"Todd!" Amanda yelled "You need your pills! You're having an attack!"

"He doesn't know!" exclaimed Dirk.

"You had time to tell him about the time machine but neglected to mention that he has pararibulitis?!" Amanda shouted back.

"Hold his arms!" barked Farah.

Amanda and Dirk pinned Todd's arms to the ground as Farah climbed onto his chest to hold his writhing form against the floor. Todd clearly had no idea what was happening as his body was consumed by the pain. He didn't even seem aware that they were there with him.

Between the three of them, they were keeping him just still enough that Farah could shove his pills into his mouth. He instinctively tried to spit them out, so she put her left hand up against his jaw and pinned his mouth shut. The back of his head was pressed against the floor as she kept his jaw tightly shut. This caused his neck to be long and exposed. Farah used her right hand to gently massage his throat in a downward motion, trying to force his body to swallow the pills. He continued to struggle, his eyes wild and terrified.

"Are they down?" Amanda asked.

"I don't know." Said Farah "He's fighting so much it's hard to tell."

Eventually, Todd stopped. The attack was clearly passing. He blinked and looked at them. He was frightened and confused. Farah slowly released his jaw as Dirk and Amanda let go of his arms.

"Wha… what?" he stuttered. "I… I was on fire…" he stared at his hands "How…?"

Farah climbed off his chest as Dirk and Amanda helped him sit up.

Amanda put her hand on his shoulder. "I know you've been faking having pararibulitis. You confessed it to me already. But the thing is, you developed it later."

The small amount of color left in Todd's face drained away. He didn't hear anything anyone said after that. They finally gave up trying and laid him in his bed, where he curled up into a ball.

"Now what?" asked Farah as they shut his door softly behind them. "Now that we've officially broken our Todd, what do we do?"

"The stone." Said Dirk "We have to figure out the stone.

* * *

Bart had an apple in one hand and a gun in the other. She was eating the apple as she walked down the halls of Blackwing. She got to the end of a hall and saw a door. She opened it and went in.

"You can't be here!" cried the guard right before she shot him.

She walked to the door at the end of the room and saw it had a handprint scanner. She dragged the guard over and used his. It clicked and opened.

In the middle of the room, sitting on the floor, was a girl who appeared to be about fourteen years old. Her hair was long and dark and her eyes were large and haunting.

"Hello." Bart grunted.

The girl just stared.

"Ya want out?" Bart asked.

The girl continued to stare. Then, very slowly, she stood.

"Well," Bart said with a shrug "come on then."

The girl walked with the same eerie, slow movements that she had when she stood.

"Been here long?" Bart asked.

The girl stared.

"Yeah. Me too. Got out for a while. Not sure why I'm back."

The girl had exited the room and was face to face with the holistic assassin.

Bart took a bite of the apple. "You dangerous?"

With the same slow, deliberate movements, the girl nodded.

"Hey! You can't be in here!" shouted a guard.

Without even turning her head, Bart shot the gun behind her. She heard the body hit the ground.

"Me too." She said with her mouth full.

The girl held up her hand. Bart stared at it a minute and then said, "Yeah, ok."

The girl placed her hand on Bart's arm. Suddenly the power went out and the emergency backup lights came on. Bart and the girl walked down the halls. All locks clicked and doors swung open. The four guards they encountered were all laying still on the ground by the time they saw them. Most likely they were dead, but Bart didn't stop to check. Bart was done with her apple by the time they made it outside.

The girl released her arm and looked into the woods, and then back to Bart.

"Nah." Said Bart "You go though. Nice to meet you and all that, but my best friend's here. I'm trying to decide if I should kill him or not."

The girl tipped her head in a silent goodbye as she turned and went into the woods. She had completely vanished when Bart turned and saw Ken standing at the door, sweating and looking worried.

"Bart…" he said "please tell me you didn't kill all those guards and let a dangerous subject loose."

"I only killed two of the guards." She said "The rest dropped dead without my help."

"Bart," said Ken deliberately "I'm going to ask you to come in quietly."

She narrowed her gaze. "You gonna make me?"

"No." he said "We both know how that would end. I'm asking you. Please. Come inside."

Bart stared at him. She could feel it. He wasn't even armed. She lifted her gun towards him and placed it in his outstretched hand. He sighed in relief.

 _Not today._ She thought as she went back inside.

* * *

Dirk, Farah, and Amanda stared at the closed box.

"Soooo…" said Amanda "Now what?"

"Right." Said Dirk "It's simple, really. I mean we just… Well, clearly we… Um… I mean… Oh! We could…" His shoulders slumped. "I have no idea.

Farah put her face in her hands. "This is a mess. We have a teenage Todd, an unconscious cat/shark, a destroyed office, and whatever the hell this rock is that we don't even know how to begin to study."

"Maybe you need to go back to the lady that hired you." Said Amanda "Start there and move from that point. Maybe there's something she forgot to tell you."

"Right." Said Dirk "Farah and I will go. You stay here."

"Hey," said Amanda "why am I the one stuck babysitting Teenage Angst?"

"He knows you." Said Farah "You're the only one he knows now. And you remember him at this age too. You can connect with him in a way that we can't." She stood and looked to Amanda. "You may want to call the Rowdies in. We still don't know who vandalized the office. It's possible they know where we live. They may show up and make trouble."

Amanda grunted. "They can try."

* * *

Todd didn't want to get up. He wanted to lay there until he either woke up from this nightmare or died. But sadly, neither seemed to be happening for him. He couldn't take any more laying there stuck with only the thoughts in his head. He got up and began to examine the room.

It was small. Like dorm room small. He'd always thought he'd actually have at least a decent place to live by the time he was this old. And of course his dream was to have become rich and famous enough to have a really incredible place to throw parties and work on his music. He was going to go on tour with his band until he broke out as a solo artist and really showed the world what he could do. He felt powerful standing on stage with his guitar in his hands, singing the songs he'd written at 3am on an adrenaline high from a live show. He was going to prove to everyone that he really did have something to say. Something they needed to hear. He was going to be a punk rock god.

Todd looked at the faded blue sheets on his bed and glanced around his tiny room. There was no evidence of that future he pictured.

 _I'm old and broken and forgotten._ He thought. _How did I end up like this?_

There was absolutely nothing in his room that said rock star. Or even former rock star. Or anything that said anything besides boring, broke guy. No posters on the walls. A night stand next to his bed with loose change and a cord that was plugged into the wall. He guessed it was some sort of phone charger. Maybe that was where he kept his alarm so that he could get up early and eat bran and punch the clock at the office. He was pretty sure if these walls could talk, they wouldn't have much to say.

There was a pill bottle there too. He didn't bother looking at the label. Catching fire in the bathroom made it abundantly clear what he needed meds for.

He shuddered and pushed the memory away as he walked to his dresser. It was mostly boring stuff like a comb and ticket stubs for movies he didn't remember. There was a half filled bottle of cologne and another bottle of pills. He wondered how many backup bottles of his medication were stashed around the place. There was also a framed picture of him with Amanda, Dirk, and Farah. They were all smiling. Really smiling.

 _What do I have to be happy about?_

He opened a drawer and there was a selection of shirts. Then he saw it. He pulled it out, hardly believing it was real. The black fabric had faded and it felt thin and worn, but it was there. A Mexican Funeral t-shirt. He held it against his face and inhaled deeply. There was still just the tiniest hint of smoky bar.

 _I could really use a cigarette right now._ He thought as he held the small remnant of his former life. He was about to shut the drawer when something caught his eye. Tucked in behind the shirts, was a photo.

Todd pulled it out and stared. It was of him and Farah.

"Oh." He said.

* * *

Dirk was fidgeting as he sat in the library chair, waiting for his client.

"So," said Farah "you say it was Ms. Rutherford's father who first had the stone?"

"Who?" said Dirk.

"Our client."

"Oh! Is that her name?"

"Dirk! How can you not even know our client's name? Don't you pay attention?"

"I pay attention to the important details." Said Dirk as he shirfted in his chair.

"Her name _is_ an important detail." She said in an uncharacteristically harsh tone.

Dirk looked up until his eyes met hers. "I'm worried about Todd too."

The door opened, and Ms. Rutherford and Fredrick entered.

"My apologies." She said "I had an important call. I had not expected you back so soon." She looked over at Farah. "Hello. I do not believe we have met."

Farah stood and extended her hand. "Farah Black. I'm an associate of Dirk's."

"And where is the young man with the blue eyes?"

Dirk and Farah exchanged glances.

A knowing look flashed across Ms. Rutherford's face. "The stone did something to him, didn't it?"

"Please." Said Farah "is there anything else about this stone you haven't told us?"

"What else would you need to know?" she asked.

"Everything." Said Dirk "From the top. Anything you can possibly think of."

She walked to her seat at the desk. "My father was traveling a lot for work. Because of that, I do not have an accurate measure for his normal behavior. But I can tell you that the few weeks before he died, his actions were a bit erratic."

"How so?" asked Dirk.

"He seemed… scattered. Unfocused. Easily confused. He'd never been quite right since my mother died, but he was even less himself than normal."

"How did he die?" Dirk asked.

"He was hit by a car on the road outside our home. There isn't much to report. He ran out and was struck by a neighbor who was driving home. It was very uncharacteristic of him to not be cautious around the road, but since he died instantly, no one was able to ask what made him run out like that."

"The stone." Said Dirk "How did you discover it?"

"It was on his desk with the lid open. From what I can gather, studying it was the last thing he did before he died."

"When did you first notice strange things happening?" asked Farah.

"I'm not sure." She admitted. "I'm afraid my time examining the stone as an amateur sleuth is unclear. I have snatches and fragments of what happened. I remember having thoughts that did not seem to be mine. Finding notes in my fathers' office of the places I was seeing in my head. It was all so unclear and disorienting. That was sixty years ago. I'm afraid my mind has lost its youthful retention."

"We need the names of the other detectives you hired." Said Farah.

"Of course." Said the elderly woman. "I will have Fredrick give you a copy of everything. I do hope you can unravel this mystery."

"We will." Said Dirk "We have to."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Amanda gently knocked on the bedroom door.

"It's me." She said "I have food."

There was a long pause before she heard, "Come in I guess."

She opened the door and saw Todd sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Since when do you knock?" he asked.

Amanda shrugged. "I guess I figured you'd had enough surprises today without your big/little sister barging in." She held up a plate. "Grilled cheese. Just like Grandma used to make us."

Todd's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Hell no. She used real cheese from those fancy markets and homemade sourdough. You had a loaf of white bread and American Cheese slices in your fridge. But it's hot and it's food so here."

Todd took the plate and bit into the sandwich. Judging by the look on his face, he was really hungry.

"I don't suppose you brought cigarettes." He said with his mouth stuffed. "I searched the room and couldn't find any."

"Sorry. You quit a few years back."

"Why would I do that?" he asked in an irritated voice. Then added, "Do you have any?"

"Nope." Said Amanda "Even if I did, there is a strict no smoking policy here."

Todd snorted. "Seriously? You care about the no smoking rules in my building?"

"Oh, the building doesn't care. That's Farah's rule. I suggest you do yourself a favor and not cross her."

"Does she live here?" Todd asked.

"No. You and Dirk do. But she's here a lot."

"Why?" Todd asked.

"You all work together and you're friends. You hang out a lot."

"Is… is that all?"

Amanda raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

Todd hesitated, and then picked up a photo that was laying face down on his bed.

Amanda took the picture and turned it over. It was of Todd and Farah. She wasn't exactly sitting on his lap, but she had her legs draped across his. It was obvious from the angle and the position of Todd's arm that he was the taking the photo. They were kissing, but it was in that silly, playful way that you do when you are comfortable with that person. As if they had to pause to kiss amid all the laughter. They looked happy and at ease with each other.

"Wow." Said Amanda "So there is photographic proof that this happened."

"What did happen?" Todd asked.

Amanda shrugged. "I never really knew. We were all on the run from a secret government organization called Blackwing."

"Of course we were." Muttered Todd.

"Anyway, you and Farah were separated from the rest of us for months. You told me something happened between you two, and then you literally never brought it up again. Despite the fact that it is obvious to literally everyone that you are still into each other."

"So that's it? We hooked up and then never talk about it?"

"No. I'm not sure what it was, or what it is I guess. I mean, there's still something going on. You two have this… thing. I don't know." Amanda handed the photo back to Todd.

"So, are we like sex buddies or something?"

"What? Ew! No! It's not like that."

"Then what is it like?" he asked.

"I don't know. There's this, like, attraction between you. Not just physical. Like this emotional connection."

"Am I seeing anyone else?" he asked.

"No. Not for a really long time now."

"So, I'm not having sex with her and I'm not having sex with anyone else. Instead of being out in the world of dating I'm apparently hung up on some 'emotional connection' with Sarah."

"Farah."

"Whatever." he said "My life is lame."

"Wow." Said Amanda "I'd forgotten what an asshole you were when you were a teenager."

Todd snorted.

"What?" she asked.

"You've gotten better at swearing. As a kid you'd try way too hard. Like you wanted to seem cool so you'd put this unnecessary emphasis on whatever word you weren't supposed to say."

"Well, you were so good at getting into trouble that I had to overcompensate just to get noticed."

"Sorry you got lost in my delinquent shadow."

Amanda smiled and nudged him.

Todd looked at the photo. "At least she's hot."

Amanda punched his arm. Hard.

"Ow!" he cried "What was that for?"

"At least she's hot? That's the best you can do? She is smart and strong and accomplished and amazing and way better than you could ever conceivably hope for and that's all you have to say?"

"Then you date her." Said Todd as he rubbed the sore spot on his arm.

"Are you really so immature that you can't even fathom that you might one day want a relationship that is something besides just physical?"

"Well apparently it's the type of relationship where I don't talk about it and hide a goofy kissing picture in my drawer. I can't imagine this being a good thing at any age." He sighed. "My last tour, a girl slipped me her number written on her naked photo. But hey, being in a non-relationship I don't talk about while I'm not allowed to smoke in my own room is cool too."

"You are so nineteen." Amanda muttered.

"Stop saying that like it's a bad thing. Apparently my thirties don't have much to offer. And I missed my twenties completely."

"Yeah, well, those are probably years you'd be ok not remembering."

"Why is that?" asked Todd.

"Look, let's not get into it." Said Amanda.

"No, let's get into it. My life is a pathetic shit show of sadness and lost opportunities. So please, tell me all about the bad years."

"You don't want to do this." Said Amanda.

Todd slammed his fist on the bed and stood up. "Get out!" he ordered.

"Excuse me?"

"I said get out! It's still my place, right? Or are there rules about that too?!"

"I'm not leaving and you haven't beaten me in a wrestling match since I was ten so good luck making me!"

"Fine!" he shouted "I'll leave! Where are my keys?"

Amanda stood so she was face to face with him. "You can't leave you idiot!"

He didn't back away. "Why?! Because I'll get caught by a time traveling dimension hopping rogue government agent?!"

"No, because you can't drive with pararibulitis!"

Todd whirled around and punched the wall. He started shouting and throwing stuff that was on his dresser, and anything else he could find, before he let out a guttural war cry and collapsed onto his knees on the floor.

Amanda crossed her arms. "Done with your mantrum?" she asked.

"You don't know!" he exclaimed "You don't know what it's like! I was in the bathroom and I burst into flames for no reason! You have no idea what I'm going through!"

"How did I ever look up to you at this age?" she cried "How could I have not seen what a spoiled, selfish, self-entitled brat you were?!"

"I'm sick!" he shot back "I'm living with a painful and potentially deadly disease!"

"Yeah well so am I!"

The room went deadly silent.

"What?" said Todd.

"I have pararibulitis. I've actually had it a lot longer than you have."

"But… but that's impossible." Said Todd. "It's so rare. The chances of siblings having it are like one in forty billion or something."

"Yeah." Said Amanda "I know. Trust me, it's not the weirdest part of our lives."

Todd was quiet for a moment, and then he looked up at her. "You said I confessed that I'd been faking. Was that before or after you got sick?"

"After. Years after. You faked it for ages. Dropped out of college. Left the band. Did all sorts of stupid things and blamed your 'disease'. I felt so bad for you that pararibulitis had robbed you of your dreams when really you just self-sabotaged and blamed it for everything that went wrong."

"How long did I… lie about it?"

"Years." Said Amanda "Mom and Dad lost everything paying for your 'treatments'. By the time I got sick, they had nothing left."

Todd looked ill. "I… I did that? I was never going to let it go that far."

"Yeah, well, when I got sick you lied again and said you got better. Which gave me false hope of a recovery that I held onto for years."

"When did I confess?"

"Last year. Dirk convinced you to do it."

Todd pulled his knees up to his chest. "You must have hated me."

"I did. You had been my hero and my hope, and you turned to be a liar and a theif. I never wanted to see you again."

His eyes were wide and horrified as he sat in such a childish way on the floor. He suddenly seemed even younger than nineteen. "Then what happened?" he timidly asked.

"Literally like a day after you told me, you got it for real. Then when we found each other after our time trying to escape Blackwing, you had changed. I had too. We… patched things up."

Todd sat silently on the floor. Eventually, Amanda sat down next to him.

"How could you possibly forgive me?" he asked.

"You weren't that guy anymore. You sucked as a young adult, but you eventually turned into a pretty decent person."

Amanda watched in silence as he was thinking. Then he took a breath and said, "Why did Mexican Funeral break up?"

 _Here we go._ She thought as she said "You didn't think the band was going anywhere so you told everyone you were quitting because of your disease. Then you sold all the equipment, reported it stolen, and then kept the money for yourself."

Todd groaned and buried his face in his knees.

Amanda patted his back.

"I screwed up my life. I screwed up everyone's lives."

"Yeah. But it's ok now. Mostly."

"How could you possibly stop hating me?"

"You're my brother."

"Is that enough?"

She shrugged. "Apparently. Most days anyway."

Todd sat there with his knees against his face for what felt like forever until Amanda said "Come on. There's more fake cheese and I'm hungry."

* * *

"You drive." Said Farah as they climbed into the car.

"Sure. May I ask why?"

"I need to make a call."

"To who?"

"My brother."

They were barely out of the driveway when his voicemail picked up. Farah made a frustrated face but kept her voice calm as she said, "Hey, Eddie. I'm working on an important case and I need to call in a favor. Too many leads to run down myself and I've got a bit of a time sensitive situation. There is a woman I need you to get me records for. I'll text you the information I have on her."

"What leads are we running down?" Dirk asked as she hung up her phone.

"I'm going to check out these other detectives that have investigated the stone. He's going to get the records for Ms. Rutherford."

"Why her?" Dirk asked.

"Something doesn't add up. My gut tells me she's hiding something."

"Of course she is." Said Dirk.

"You mean you know?" said Farah as she turned to face him.

"Farah, she's an eccentric rich woman with a mummy for a butler who has a magic stone that makes people hallucinate, go insane, and steals memories. Of course she's hiding something."

"Good point. Well, I know my next step. What's yours?"

"The stone." Said Dirk "As Todd would say, I'm going to holistic the shit out of it."

"Well, be careful. We can't afford to lose you too."

"Of course I'll be careful. I'm always careful."

"That's what I'm afraid of." She said.

* * *

Bart was carving a groove into the table with a Blackwing standard issue knife.

"Where did you get that?" asked Ken as he sat down across from her.

"Found it." She said.

"Of course you did." Ken said as he opened a file.

"Am I in some sort of trouble or something?" she asked.

"Oh? Now why would you ask that? Because you left your room, entered a secure area, killed six guards, and released a dangerous subject?"

"No. You just had your 'you're in trouble' face on."

"My… Bart, you killed six people!"

"Two. The other four dropped dead without me."

"Yes, let's talk about that. Four guards die of completely unrelated causes within a minute of each other. Two heart attacks, one stroke, and one fatal case of IBS."

"IBS?"

"Irritable Bowel Syndrome."

"Which means…"

"Which means you walked by and one of our men literally shit himself to death. If that's not a crazy, holistic death, I don't know what is."

Bart shrugged. "I'm not sure why you're blaming me for this."

Ken pulled out a photo from the file. "Do you recognize her?"

"She's the kid I let out."

"Not kid." Said Ken "She's been around longer than either of us. And she's dangerous."

"So you said."

"Why did you release her?"

"Dunno. Wasn't the plan. I leaned on my door and it opened. Looked down and found a door. It opened too. Looked down again and found a gun. Just sorta followed my way through and everything lined up. I guess the Universe wanted me to release her."

"You can resist your urges. You've proven that."

Bart tightened her grip on the knife. "Maybe I'm exhausted from fighting the urge to kill you and don't have the strength to resist anything else."

Ken leaned towards her. "We both know you're stronger than that."

"You sound awfully confident for someone who knows what I can do."

"Exactly." Said Ken "I know the only thing keeping me alive is your decision not to kill me. And I know if you ever change your mind, there is nothing I can do and no place I can go that would be safe."

"So then why aren't you scared?" asked Bart as she pulled the knife out of the table.

Ken looked her in the eye. "I guess I have more faith in your resolve than you do." He leaned even closer. "Enough faith to believe that you can also resist the urge to release dangerous subjects."

Bart stared at Ken's throat. It was exposed and vulnerable. She could feel the pull. Ken didn't even bring a guard in with him. They were alone.

She dropped the knife.

"Done with it?" Ken asked.

"I guess so. Besides, I don't really need it if you think I can kill a man with his own poop."

"Where did she go?" Ken asked as he motioned to the photo.

"Dunno. She invited me to go with her."

"Why didn't you?"

"Dunno."

"Well what do you know?"

"That the Universe wanted me to let her out."

Ken sighed and packed up the file. "I need to get ahead of this one." He reached for the knife. "May I?"

Bart shrugged. "Whatever."

Ken picked it up and took it with him.

"Goodbye, Bart."

"'Bye, Ken."

* * *

As soon as the door shut behind him, Ken leaned heavily against it. He was sweating. He had been painfully aware of how close he had been to death.

 _Just hang on a little longer._ He thought as he fought to collect himself. He could hear Wilson approaching. Her high heels were clicking against the floor. He often wondered if she purposely wore loud shoes just to bring a sense of dread that built from the moment they were heard approaching.

"Any progress?" she asked.

"We were given a last known position of the subject entering the woods."

"We had that from surveillance. What new information do we have?"

Ken's brain was scrambling to come up with something Wilson would accept. It was taking too long. He decided to buy some time by reiterating the facts they already had, but before he could get a single word out, she held up her hand.

"You are too close to this. Project Marzanna should have been eliminated when she returned to Blackwing."

"That would be a mistake. I have far more firsthand experience with her than anyone here. Any attempt to harm Marzanna would be catastrophic for Blackwing."

"You promised you could contain her."

"With all due respect, I have had far more success containing her than my last three predecessors and…"

"You personal feelings, whatever they may be, are clouding your judgement." Wilson stepped forward until she was so close that it took everything in Ken not to lean away. "You have made some very… questionable decisions since you have taken leadership here at Blackwing. There will be consequences for your actions."

Before Ken could respond, Wilson turned away and began her clicking descent down the hallway. "That will be all." She said as she as she exited from sight.

Ken clutched the files in his hand. He had to clean up this mess before it was too late.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Alright boys," said Amanda as the Rowdy three entered the apartment "my chronologically challenged brother is in a bit of a delicate state. Be nice to him."

"Whatever you say, Boss." Said one of the biker boys.

"Boss?" said Todd.

"Yeah. I'm kinda their leader." Said Amanda.

"Look! Kitty cute!" cried a gravely voice. She was crouched down and moving almost like an animal. She had wild eyes and bright hair.

"She's new." Said Todd.

"Yeah," said the smallest of the bikers "Rainbow Monster was asleep in the car before."

"Rainbow…" Todd started, then he felt something. He looked down and saw a cat rubbing on his legs.

"Aww…" said Amanda "I think she remembers you."

"Remembers?" said Todd.

"Yeah. Back when shark was still just a kitten, you and Dirk took care of her."

"Wait, so this is the shark/cat? Isn't she dangerous? And wasn't she in a cat carrier?"

"She's only dangerous if she's upset." Said Amanda. "That's why I let her out. I'd get upset if I was stuck in a cage. This way she can walk around and be a happy cat with no reason to become a shark." Amanda leaned down and pet the cat.

Todd sat on the floor and the cat curled up on his lap and purred.

"You're not scared?" said Amanda as she sat next to him and scratched the cat's head.

"If I'm honest, I don't really believe the whole shark story. Or like 90% of the weird stuff they told me."

"We can activate the shark if you want to see." Said the one with the straight, black hair.

"Bad idea." Said the one with the shaved head. "It might eat Boss's Brother. Then Boss would be sad."

Todd really didn't know if they were joking or not.

"I guess you haven't had a chance to see anything really weird yet, huh?" said Amanda.

"I've seen plenty of weird." Said Todd as he glanced around the room.

"Yeah, but not 'unexplainable weird', right?" said Amanda.

Todd shrugged. "I've heard about a lot of stuff, and everyone swears a magic stone took my memories, but no. Nothing firsthand."

Amanda smiled. "Hey, Beast. Come over here."

The rainbow haired woman skittered towards them.

"What need, Boss?" she grunted.

"Can Todd see?" Amanda asked.

"He see before."

"Yeah, but he doesn't remember that. Do you mind letting him see again?"

"See what?" Todd asked.

Beast grunted and got right up in Todd's face, which made him a bit uncomfortable.

Amanda reached over and pulled the bandana off of Beasts' forehead. Todd stared at the strange ridges on her face.

"Did… did she have surgery?"

Beast laughed loudly in his face.

"She's from another dimension. This is what her people look like."

"Another… dimension…?"

"Yeah! And we were there, Todd! We helped save them!"

He tore his eyes away from Beasts' strange facial features and looked at his sister.

"We went to another dimension? For real?"

Amanda laughed. "And it's still not the weirdest thing we've done! Just you wait. There is strange shit in this world you won't believe." She stood up. "Want to see something crazy?"

"Yes!" Todd exclaimed with more enthusiasm than he intended.

"Put Sharko in the bedroom. This might freak her out a little."

Todd placed the cat on his bed and closed the door. Amanda was standing in the middle of the living room with her boys standing around her.

"What are you doing?" Todd asked.

"I've figured out how to control my pararibulitis. I can actually concentrate to bring on an attack."

"What!" Todd cried "Why would you do that?"

"Hold on." She said "Let me show you."

She closed her eyes a moment and the room was still and quiet. And then she let out a scream.

Todd raced towards her and Beast jumped up and held him back.

"Let me go!" he yelled as he tried to get to his sister.

"Wait!" she exclaimed as she used her surprising strength to keep him away.

The four men were standing in a circle around Amanda, and suddenly some sort of smoke or something began coming off her and was absorbed by them. All of the boys had a weird glow and Todd could feel electricity crackling in the air.

"No way…" he said as he watched in awe. Amanda went from screaming to still and peaceful. She looked powerful as the last of the smoke left her body.

Todd stared at her. "What? I mean… how? I… what was that?!"

Amanda looked up. "No time to explain. We need to go."

"Go where, Boss?" asked the smallest one.

"Just get in the van. You too, Todd. Ready to see some more weird shit?"

"Oh, hell yeah!" he said as he raced after his sister.

* * *

"What do you mean you took Todd on a field trip?!"

Farah had been having a very stressful day. Finding out the Rowdy Gang had taken Todd out to chase one of Amanda's visions was not making it better.

"We'll keep him safe." Said Amanda over the phone. Farah could barely hear her over the whoops and hollers and horns honking.

"He's not himself." Said Farah "He doesn't know what he's getting himself into."

"I get it. He's fine. We're not going to do anything too crazy."

Farah was getting irritated. "When do you do things that aren't crazy?"

"Hey," said Amanda "he was with you and Dirk when he did things like fall into a death maze, entered a nightmare dimension, was attacked by a cat/shark, got kidnapped, and lost his memories. The worst he ever got under my watch was drunk."

"You got me drunk?!"

Todd's voice rose over the roar of the van.

"It hasn't happened to you yet! I'll tell you about it later!"

"Please, Amanda," said Farah "just be careful."

"You too. Bye."

Farah put the phone in her pocket. Dirk had placed the box with the stone on the coffee table.

"Where is the cat?" Farah asked.

"In Todd's room. She's fine. Just gave her some tuna."

"We still need to deal with her."

"Yes. But first, I have a theory. This stone seems to have a much more profound effect on people who touch it. That must be why we were fine when it fell out of the box when poor Todd had his mind wiped. I'm going to open the box and see what I can figure out."

"I don't like this plan. Too many variables."

"I know." Said Dirk "But it's all I've got. I really think this is the path I need to take with this."

Farah hated when he said something like that. It meant that nothing she could say would talk him out of it. "Wait until I go. I need to do some research, and if this goes wrong, we will need someone who hasn't been effected."

"Excellent plan." Said Dirk.

"Keep your phone close. I'm calling you in ten minutes. You need to answer."

Dirk nodded in agreement as Farah exited the apartment.

* * *

Dirk took a deep breath before he opened the box. There it was. It seemed to be a deep, almost emerald green. The more he looked at it, the more he noticed all the colors. Flecks of lighter or darker green swirled with small areas of almost black. There were veins of grey and even blue. Then he saw it. A large, almost glowing patch of gold. It was so much more vibrant than the rest of the stone.

"Hello." He said "What are you?"

He shifted the box so that the rock rolled and the golden part was on top. It was hypnotizing. After a moment, he couldn't see anything else. Then he heard something. Music. He looked around the room and he couldn't hear it anymore. He looked back at the stone and concentrated on the gold. Then he gasped.

"Is that…?"

Dirk went silent as he became helplessly entranced by the stone.

* * *

"What do you mean they're vampires?!"

Amanda laughed. "Not like Dracula vampires."

"We don't drink blood." Said the one Amanda called Gripps.

"Though on occasion, we do spill it." Said the blond one behind the wheel. Todd was pretty sure he was called Martin.

"We feed off energy." Said Vogel. "Tasty energy. Like the kind Boss gives off."

"Wait," said Todd "they eat your paraibulitis?"

"Sort of. Yeah." Said Amanda. "And when they do, I get visions. I see glimpses of the future or where we should go or hints about what we need to do next."

"Is it like that for me too?" asked Todd.

"Nah." Said Cross "We drained you once. Didn't taste the same."

"Made you sick too." Said Gripps.

"I don't know if it's because I've had it longer or have more control or what, but it only works with me."

"So you have, like, a superpower?" asked Todd.

"I guess." Said Amanda.

"That is so cool!" he cried.

Martin slammed on the breaks and Todd went flying forward and landed on Beast, who tossed him off as if he weighed less than Amanda.

"What is it?" Vogel asked.

"I think we found the source of Dummers' vision." Said Martin.

Standing in the middle of the road was a girl. She looked young. Maybe old enough to be in high school. Her dark hair came down past her waist and she was dressed in some sort of tan jumpsuit with purple stripes across the arms and chest. She was very still, with her haunting eyes just starting at them. She seemed completely unafraid of the giant vehicle that almost ran her over.

Amanda got out first with Todd closely behind. The rest of the Rowdies piled out as well.

"Her outfit." Said Amanda "She's a Blackwing subject."

"That's the secret government agency, right?" said Todd.

"Yep. That's the one." Replied Amanda.

"Purple bands." Said Martin. "That means they're scared of her."

"We didn't even get purple." Said Cross.

"S…scared how?" asked Todd. She didn't look threatening. Though something about her did make him feel apprehensive.

"Hello." Said Amanda.

The girl didn't say anything, but simply tipped her head in a manner that reminded Todd of a bird.

"We hate Blackwing too." Said Amanda. The girl didn't respond.

I'm Amanda and we're the Rowdy 3. And Todd, I guess. Look, we're here to help. I saw you in my vision. We think we're supposed to help you or you're supposed to help us or something."

Without a word, the girl slowly walked up to the van and climbed in.

"Well, ok." Said Amanda "I guess we head back."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Dirk not answering his phone was a very bad sign. Farah had been on such a roll with her research, that it was almost forty minutes before she remembered to check on Dirk.

"Pick up pick up pick up…" she muttered as she jogged up the steps to Dirk and Todd's apartment.

She knocked, but didn't wait for a response as she used her key to open it.

"Dirk?" she said as she entered the apartment.

He didn't answer. He was sitting on the couch staring intently at the stone. Farah ran over to him and snapped the box shut.

Dirk blinked in surprise. He shook his head and looked up at Farah.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just… disoriented." He looked around. "How did I get back to the apartment?"

"Um…" said Farah "what happened to your accent?"

"My what?" he said.

"You accent. You sound… American."

He looked confused. "Why wouldn't I?" He cleared his throat.

"What's wrong?" Farah asked.

"My throat feels weird. It's making my voice sound funny."

"Did your throat make you lose your accent? You have to admit, that's strange."

Dirk stared at her. "What are you talking about?" he stood and nearly toppled over. "What the…?"

He looked down at his shoes and clothes and then ran his fingers through his hair. A strange look passed over his face.

"Dirk," said Farah "are you ok?"

Dirk raced to the bathroom and stared in the mirror.

"No no no no no no no no..."

Farah followed him "Talk to me! Now! What is going on?!"

"I… I…"

"Dirk, what is wrong?!"

"That's just it!" he cried "I'm not Dirk! I'm Todd!"

* * *

Ken looked down at the file in his hands. Of course this connected to Dirk. It always connected to Dirk. He hoped that the missing subject would be connected as well.

When he got to the apartment door, he heard the sounds of an intense conversation. He couldn't make out the words, but the tones were unmistakable. He knocked on the door and the voices immediately went silent. After a few moments, Farah answered the door. There was no hiding the surprise on her face.

"Ken. What are you doing here?"

"Are Dirk and Todd here? I need to speak to you all."

"This is a bad time." Said Farah.

"It will just be a moment. It concerns Blackwing and possibly your safety."

Farah seemed to struggle for a moment about whether or not to let him in. Then she opened the door.

Ken walked into the apartment and saw Dirk standing in the middle of the room looking very nervous.

"Where's Todd?" Ken asked.

"Um… around." Said Dirk.

"Why are you talking like that?" asked Ken.

"He's going undercover as an American." Said Farah.

"For a case." Said Dirk.

Ken looked back and forth between them. He didn't have time to play the Why Is Dirk Acting Strange Today game. "Look, you two are obviously in the middle of something, so I'll keep it brief. There has been an unauthorized attempt on your lives."

"What?" said Farah.

"Bart helped release a dangerous subject from Blackwing. Six guards were killed in the process. We realized all six of them had some suspicious activities in their logs. Not enough to flag any of them alone, but when we put it together, we figured it out."

"Are we in danger?" asked Dirk.

"I don't think so." Said Ken The attempt was planned for this morning, a few hours before they died. Seeing as how you are all fine, it appears it either didn't work or they never got a chance to finish. But you may still want to be careful."

"What was their plan?" asked Farah.

"They were going to plant some sort of 'biological bomb' in your office. I drove by and saw your window was broken."

"That was Blackwing?!" exclaimed Dirk.

"Not officially. Those were rogue agents. I told you when I took over that I would protect you and I meant it. Now, not everyone agrees with my decision. Bart took care of all the officers that we were able to link with this attempt. Did you find the bomb?"

"We did." Said Farah "We were able to neutralize it."

"Good." Said Ken "I'd hate to see anything happen to you all."

He paused.

"What is it?" asked Dirk.

"The subject Bart released is still at large. We thought she might come here."

"Why here?" asked Farah.

"It's not a strong lead, but she did help kill the men who tried to kill you. I thought she might be connected to you."

"Do you have a photo?" asked Farah.

Ken pulled one out of the folder. "She's known as Project Pandora."

"She's a kid." Said Dirk.

"No. She's not. She doesn't age or speak, so we have no idea how old she actually is. But I promise you she's older than everyone in this room. Probably put together."

Farah took the photo. "Why is she considered dangerous?"

"Her ability is… unpredictable. She unlocks and amplifies abilities within people. With varying results."

"That doesn't sound so bad." Said Dirk.

"She touched Bart and a slew of guards dropped dead and all the security in Blackwing shut down."

"Oh." Said Dirk.

"We will keep our eyes open." Said Farah as she started to hand back the photo.

"Keep it. Call me if you see anything suspicious."

"Right." Said Dirk uncomfortably.

As Ken exited the apartment, he shook his head and wondered what kind of strangeness those two were in the middle of. There wasn't time to speculate. He had a mess to clean up.

* * *

Neither Farah or Dirk/Todd gave a lot of thought to Ken's words. The shark hadn't killed them, and they had much bigger issues to deal with.

"Ok, think." Said Farah "What is the last thing you remember?"

Dirk thought hard. "I remember the shark attack. The box was falling, and I tried to catch it and the stone fell on me. Then I woke up here. Like this."

An idea flickered through Farah's mind. "What's the first thing you remember?"

He looked confused. "What like being a kid or…"

"Sure. Whatever. Just the oldest memory you can think of."

He thought for a moment. "Huh. That's… odd."

"What?" asked Farah.

"I don't remember my childhood. Or high school. I remember talking about it. Or like seeing my best friend from third grade and recognizing it was him, but I don't actually remember him as a kid."

"Do you remember being Dirk?"

"I'm not Dirk."

"But you are! When Todd caught the box, the rock took all his memories back to age nineteen. I think the stone held onto those memories and somehow put them in you."

Dirk blinked. "Hold on. I do remember that. I can remember me… I mean Todd, being so confused and upset because he didn't know us or what was going on. And I remember it as Dirk looking at Todd. Oh this is weird."

"So you do remember being Dirk."

"A little. Those memories feel really far away. Like they happened more than a decade ago."

"Ok, so Todd's memories weren't erased, just… relocated. And your memories aren't gone either. Just buried under Todd's."

"Oh this is bizarre. I remember Dirk and Todd meeting from both sides." Suddenly he looked uncomfortable.

"What?" asked Farah.

"I remember… us. Making out. On this couch."

"Those are Todd's private memories."

I can't help it! His memories are so much stronger and clearer than mine. I don't even feel like Dirk. I actually feel like I'm really Todd!"

Farah pulled out her phone.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Calling Amanda."

She picked up quickly. "Hey Farah! Any progress?"

"Yes and no. We have a lot of new information, but we're not sure what it means yet. We need you to get Todd back here."

"Ok. We were just stopping for a bite. We'll get back on the road and… oh shit."

"What's wrong?" asked Farah.

"I'll call you right back."

"Wait, Amanda. Amanda! What's going…?"

But she'd already hung up.

* * *

Todd was enjoying his sandwich despite the fact that Beast was sitting uncomfortably close.

"You have no concept of personal space, do you?" said Todd.

"Mmmm…" she said "Looks good. Share."

Todd sighed, and let her take a big bite. She chewed loudly with her mouth open.

Amanda laughed and then heard her phone buzzing. "Hey Farah." She got up from the table to talk.

"Uh oh." Said Beast.

Todd heard something. He looked out the window and saw people running and screaming. Then he saw the four Rowdies had left the van. They were yelling and throwing things and beating stuff with bats.

"Oh no." said Todd.

He jumped up from his seat and ran out. Amanda and Beast were next to him in an instant.

"What's happening?" he asked.

"I don't know. This isn't right."

Martin shoved a man while yelling like a maniac. The man barely stayed on his feet as he fled.

"Stop!" Amanda cried "What are you doing?!"

Todd saw Vogel ripping a newspaper box out of the ground. Caught up in the moment, Todd tried to tackle him. Vogel grabbed Todd and lifted him over his head.

"Vogel! Stop!" yelled Amanda.

"Can't, Boss!" shouted Vogel "Can't control it!"

He tossed Todd as if he weighed nothing. Todd crash landed onto a couch put for sale at the parking lot flea market where the van was stationed. It knocked the wind out of him, but at least there was no serious injury. If Vogel had tossed him through the store window instead, Todd wasn't sure he would have made it.

Todd had just managed to climb off the couch when the Rowdy 3 boys stood back to back and began to absorb the energy from anyone within range.

It knocked Todd off his feet. He felt like the life was being sucked from his body.

He woke up with Farah staring at him. He looked around and saw he was back in the apartment.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Oh, so very much." Said Amanda.

Todd started to sit up, and the room immediately started spinning. He groaned and laid back down on the couch.

"Lay still for a moment." Said Farah "Getting drained by the Rowdy 3 is no joke."

"What did they do to me?" he asked.

"You mean, what did she do to you." Said Amanda in a bitter voice.

"What?" said Todd.

"Our little hitchhiker is a Blackwing runaway called Pandora. She intensifies people's abilities. She touched the Rowdies and forced them to feed. They chased off as many people as possible before they couldn't stop it. Vogel even tossed you away from him so you wouldn't get hit as hard.

"Where's this Pandora now?" Todd asked.

"Ran off." Said Amanda. "I think she was just using us as a ride and a distraction."

She helped him sit up. It took him a minute to get oriented. Then he saw Dirk staring at him.

"Umm… Hi there." Said Todd uncomfortably.

"Oh this is weird." said Dirk. Only he didn't sound like Dirk.

Amanda smiled. "I always wanted two brothers."

"You're not funny." Said Dirk in his strange, American accent. Todd didn't know Dirk well, but he was pretty sure more than his voice was off.

"What's going on?" Todd asked.

Farah sat next to him on the couch.

"Dirk decided to try examining the stone. He thought maybe if he didn't touch it, he'd be fine. That's… not the case."

"So what happened?" Todd asked.

"He got your memories instead!" said Amanda, unable to hide her amusement.

"Wait, what?"

"There was this intense, gold part of the stone and it did something to me. It's like it downloaded all the memories you lost into my brain."

Todd stared at him. "But you're still Dirk, right?"

"Well, yeah. I mean I guess so. It's hard to remember being Dirk. Your memories are so much clearer. It's like Dirk has been buried under fifteen years of Todd. I thought I was you at first."

"You know, this is consistent with my findings." Said Farah. "The last detective who she hired, the one who ran off and vanished for a decade, he took on a whole new personality and identity. How much do you want to bet he did exactly what Dirk did and got someone else's memories?"

"Dirk," said Amanda "does your ability still work? Can you still see the interconnectedness of all things even with Todd cluttering up your head?"

"Sort of. A little. But it makes even less sense than usual. I had no idea it was so difficult to understand. I owe Dirk an apology. I mean me. I guess. This is confusing."

Farah's phone rang.

"It's my brother. I need to take this."

She stepped out, leaving just Amanda and the two broken halves of Todd's memories.

Todd looked up at Dirk. "You really remember being me?"

"Everything you don't remember." Said Dirk with more than a little annoyance in his voice. "I wouldn't mind forgetting ages twenty-two to twenty-eight though."

"I'm dying to know what you remember."

"Yeah, I don't have the cliff notes for the last fifteen years."

Todd rolled his eyes. "I get that. Just tell me a little about myself. I want to hear about me from me."

Dirk sat on the coffee table across from Todd. "What is it you want to know?"

"I don't know. What am I like now?"

"Well, at the moment you're having a bit of an identity crisis." Said Dirk.

"Oh I could watch you two all day." Said Amanda with a grin.

Before either of them could respond, Farah re-entered the room.

"Well, he finished looking into our Ms. Rutherford." Said Farah.

"Anything interesting?" asked Dirk.

"Before or after the sex change?" said Farah.

"Sorry boys." Said Amanda "The Farah Show just got way more interesting."

Amanda's phone buzzed. She looked down at the text. "It's the Rowdies. They found Pandora!"

"I'll explain what Eddie said on the way." Said Farah as she grabbed her keys.

They were almost to the door when Todd's right shin snapped in half. Todd screamed and dropped to the ground.

"What happened?" Said Farah as they all rushed to his side.

"My… my leg…" he gasped.

"This one?" Amanda asked as she got a little too close to his shattered leg.

"Don't touch it!" Todd shrieked.

They all took a step back.

"We won't." said Farah in a calm voice. "Todd, where are your pills?"

"My pills?"

"Your pararibulitis meds." She said "Where are they?"

"N…no." he stammered. "My leg is broken…"

Dirk got up and rushed into Todd's bedroom.

"You're having an attack." Said Amanda and she gently put her hand on his shoulder. "Your leg is fine. Where are your pills?"

"Here." Said Dirk as he opened a pill bottle. "There's always an extra bottle on the night stand."

Dirk popped the pills into Todd's mouth. Todd was shaking all over and was struggling to swallow them. He glanced down and saw the bone sticking out of his pant leg.

"You really can't see that?" he said weakly.

Dirk put his hands on Todd's head and gently guided him to laying back on the floor.

"Best not to look." Said Dirk.

"It feels so real…" Todd said as he choked back tears.

"The pills will kick in soon." Said Amanda "Just hold tight."

Todd heard a very pitiful squeak escape him.

"Go on ahead." Said Dirk "I've got him. It's going to take a bit even once the attack is over. He's not used to the shock anymore and we're on a time crunch."

Farah looked at Todd.

"Go on." He said in a strained voice. "We'll catch up."

"Are you sure?" asked Farah.

Todd nodded. He really hoped he managed to keep from crying until she at least left the room.

"Ok. We'll text you the address. Catch up when you can."

And the ladies left.

"Any better?" asked Dirk.

"Not much."

"Yeah, this one may take a bit. That's why I sent them ahead. I never liked an audience when I had my attacks."

"Thanks." Said Todd through clenched teeth.

"I feel like I'm having an out of body experience." Said Dirk "Watching myself having an attack." He leaned over Todd. "Amanda was right. I do make weird faces when I get like this."

"I think your helpfulness has ended." Muttered Todd.

Dirk put his hand on Todd's shoulder. "Should be letting up soon."

Todd noticed the intensity of the pain had lessened slightly.

"Try to focus on me and my voice." Said Dirk "That's what Farah says when she's helping me through these. Look at me and focus."

"And that helps?"

"Some."

"I'd rather focus on Farah."

Dirk chuckled. "Can't argue that. But unfortunately you're stuck with me."

Todd took a deep breath. The pain was noticeably less. His meds were working.

"Can we catch Amanda and Farah? They can't have gone far yet."

"Just wait." Said Dirk "You're not done."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see. Is the pain gone yet?"

"Almost."

"Give it a minute."

It didn't take long to figure out what he meant as Todd was hit with the one two punch of dizziness and nausea.

"There it is." Said Dirk "I'd recognize that look anywhere."

The room was spinning all over again.

"Wha… what's happening?"

"Side effect from the attack. The hallucinations are pretty disorienting anyway, throw in a large dose of meds and you're in for some fun. How's the leg?"

"Better than the seasickness." Todd moaned.

"It'll pass. Just lay still a bit."

Todd closed his eyes. It didn't help. He felt like he was falling.

"Is it always this bad?" he asked.

Dirk shrugged. "I mean, there's no such thing as a good attack. It's always rough. But there are some that are worse, and they make the part after a lot harder too. You didn't notice last time because you went all catatonic on us."

The dizziness calmed down, but Todd's brain felt fuzzy. It was hard to think clearly.

"Want some water?" asked Dirk.

"Ok."

Dirk got him a glass of water and helped him sit up.

"Can you hold a cup?" asked Dirk.

"I think so." Said Todd, who promptly proved himself wrong and spilled it down his front and onto his lap.

"Wow." Said Dirk "Nice move."

Todd glared at him. "You know, everyone keeps telling me I become less of an asshole. I think you're proving them wrong."

Dirk shrugged. "I'm hard on myself."

"Is this how Dirk feels too?" Todd asked.

Dirk shook his head. "Dirk's way too nice to me. Us. You. Whatever." He made a frustrated face. "I kinda hate this."

"What does Dirk think of me?" Todd asked. "I mean the me I become. The You Me."

Dirk closed his eyes. "It's so hard to remember. It feels like a lifetime ago." He looked at Todd. "Why?"

Todd swallowed. "Because I want to know what I really am, and I know you won't coddle me. I want to know who I become and if it is worth everything I lose."

"You didn't ask what I think of you. Or rather what you thinks of you." Said Dirk

"I know what you think. You hate me. You see me and see all your mistakes and regrets and it reopens all your old wounds. I always hated myself. Why wouldn't you?"

Dirk was quiet for a long time. Finally he said "Dirk sees us differently then we do. He sees this… nobility and bravery and intelligence that we've never seen in the mirror. We're not his best friend because he got stuck with us. He actually sees what he believes is is the best person in the world."

"That… makes no sense." Said Todd.

Dirk shrugged. "No. It doesn't. But it's what he sees."

Dirk looked away and Todd realized he had tears in his eyes. He decided to change the subject.

"Is Amanda ok? I mean, really ok?"

"She terrifies me." Said Dirk "She's off in a rundown van with vampires and a creature from another dimension tracking down people with unpredictable superpowers. I'm scared every day that she's going to get hurt and I'm not going to be able to save her." Dirk took a deep breath. "She's also incredible. She's overcome so much. And she's so strong. Stronger than we could ever hope to be. We may have been her hero growing up, but she's my hero now."

Todd looked up at Dirk. "Is she happy?"

"Yeah. I think she is."

Todd felt relief spread over him. Both from hearing how well his sister was doing, but also because the attack had finally passed.

"I think I'm good now." Said Todd.

"Go change." Said Dirk "You look like you pissed yourself."

"Hey, it's on my shirt too."

"It looks like you pissed yourself with spectacularly bad aim."

"I love how encouraging I become in my old age." Said Todd.

Dirk shrugged. "I always said that if I could meet my nineteen year old self, I'd punch him in the face. I'd say you're getting off easy."

Dirk helped Todd stand. He was a little unsteady, but managed to stay upright.

"One more thing." Said Todd "Farah. I found the photo in the dresser."

"Oh." Said Dirk, looking down.

"What are we?" asked Todd.

"Complicated." Said Dirk.

"Do I love her?"

Dirk wouldn't make eye contact.

"Do I?"

"I'm… not sure. I don't know if I'm even capable of loving someone. At least not the way she deserves it."

"So let her go."

"I'm trying. I suck at it."

"I thought I was supposed to be the selfish one."

Dirk shrugged.

Todd looked at him. "Can you tell me what it's like? Being with her?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I don't kiss and tell."

"They were my lips! She kissed me! Your lips weren't even involved!"

"And yet, I'm the one who remembers it."

Todd glared at him. "I hate you."

"Back at you."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Farah sat behind the wheel as she and Amanda drove to meet the rest of the Rowdy 3.

"So what exactly did your brother uncover?" asked Amanda.

Farah took a breath. "Well, Ms. Rutherford was born in Georgia over eighty years ago. She was born a boy named Matthew Rutherford. Matthew's father died when Matthew was only twenty-one years old. He lived off of his trust fund and residuals from his father's work."

"When did he become a she?" Amanda asked.

"Unclear. Not long after his father died, Matthew stopped leaving his house. He remained a shut in until he moved here at age thirty-two. By then, he was a she and no one knew Matthew here, so there was no questioning the matter."

"So all those years he, or she, was in hiding, what happened? How did she get food and supplies and stuff? I know a few things about being a shut in and it was a lot harder before the internet."

"True, but he had access to a ton of money. And there are two known servants involved. The first was a woman known as Emily in Georgia. She died before Ms. Rutherford moved here. And then Fredrick, who has served her ever since, despite now being older than dirt."

Amanda crossed her arms. "There is something so suspicious about this. She's hiding something. That's a lot of secrecy even for someone who isn't holding onto a magic rock."

Farah nodded. "I looked into the other people who investigated the stone over the years. One was accused of trying to steal it, but he swore he had never even been hired despite the evidence of payment and the stone was found in his home. He said that he was framed. Another abandoned the stone and his family and changed his name before fleeing to France. He died a few years back still living under the alias. Three more entered psychiatric treatment. I have not gotten access to their files."

"Oof." Said Amanda "Sounds like our boys got off easy."

"It's all connected." Said Farah "I can feel it."

Amanda chuckled. "You sound like Dirk."

"Well, one of us needs to."

* * *

Dirk and Todd were only ten minutes behind at most. Dirk felt strange driving. It had been a long time. And he had to keep reminding himself that he was safe to be behind the wheel. That he wouldn't have a pararibulitis attack. That he wasn't really Todd.

Everything felt weird. The way his hair brushed against his forehead. The too long arms and legs. The hands. He couldn't understand how his hands felt so strange and unruly. The shape and the length of the fingers were very different than Todd's. It almost felt like he was doing everything with gloves on. Gloves he could feel through, but still gloves.

While it was getting a little easier to remember being Dirk, all his prominent memories were of being Todd. And when he thought about his life as Dirk, it almost felt like a violation of Dirk's private thoughts. He still felt like he was actually Todd, and he couldn't get over the feeling of intrusion. It was so hard to wrap his head around the reality that he really was Dirk and, if anything, it was looking into Todd's memories that was the invasion.

 _So weird._ He thought for the billionth time that hour.

"What did this Blackwing guy tell you about this Pandora lady?" Todd asked.

"She's apparently pretty dangerous."

"Are Amanda and Farah going to be ok?"

Dirk snorted. "They'll fare better than we ever could. And they'll have the rest of the Rowdies with them. If we're lucky, you and I won't get in the way."

Todd crossed his arms and made a face.

"What's with the pouting?" Dirk asked.

"I'm not pouting."

"Right."

Todd glared at him. "I know you hate me, but can you stop being an asshole for like two minutes? I'd like to think I'll get a chance to see something redeeming in the person I'm stuck turning into."

Dirk gritted his teeth. Todd was right. He knew that. He took a deep breath and tried to focus on his inner Dirk. How did Dirk feel about Todd? What would he say to his friend in crisis? No doubt the way Dirk would treat Todd was 100% different than how Todd treated Todd.

"I'm sorry."

"A little louder. I couldn't hear."

"There is not enough Dirk in the universe for me to put up with you if you're going to give me shit."

"Oh, so you can dish it but can't take it?"

"Maybe we need to have some quiet time." Said Dirk.

"Awesome. I'm sitting along in a car with the man who literally has all the answers to my questions about the life I lost, and he wants to play Who Can Be The Biggest Douche. Which you are winning, by the way."

 _Think like Dirk think like Dirk think like Dirk…_

Dirk kept repeating that in his head as he white knuckled the wheel.

"It's always going to be like this, isn't it?" said Todd "Me hating myself. What you're saying out loud is what I'm always going to hear in my mind for the rest of my life. No matter how much I change or make right, I'll always feel like you're next to me making me feel like garbage."

Dirk felt his stomach drop.

"You're right." Said Dirk. "I hate that about myself."

"Oh goody. Another thing I hate about me."

Dirk sighed and tried hard to remember.

"Dirk loves you."

If Todd had been taking a sip of water, he would have spit it all over the dashboard.

"I… uh… I didn't realize…"

Dirk rolled his eyes. "Not like that. Dirk loves you like you love Amanda. Except instead of feeling protective, he feels like you saved him."

"From what?" asked Todd.

"From everything. Look, I know you feel isolated and alone and like no one understands or appreciates you. But you have no idea what any of those things really feel like. Dirk was lonely like we've never known. And when you came into his life… "

Dirk felt himself getting choked up as the buried emotions bubbled up to the surface. The crushing feeling of being utterly alone. Being misunderstood. Being used and exploited. Feeling useless and helpless and hopeless and scared.

"You were the first person to treat Dirk, to treat me, like an actual human. You changed everything. Life went from being a horrifying, painful, seemingly unrelated series of events swirling and fighting and destroying everything around him, to something with purpose and reason. Sometimes even fun." Dirk looked over at Todd. "You gave me family."

They both sat silently in the car as they pretended not to notice how close the other was to tears.

Finally, Todd broke the silence.

"Dirk."

"Yeah."

"From what I can gather, when we met, I was barely human myself. But you treated me like I had worth too. I may not remember what that time was like, but I've seen how you changed me from the people in my life."

Dirk tensed up.

"What's wrong?" asked Todd.

"I'm not sure how to explain it. I can see both sets of memories of all these experiences we had together. Neither of us really knowing how much the other meant, and now I feel like I'm drowning in it."

Dirk was having trouble catching his breath.

"Um, I know I'm not supposed to drive, but you're not exactly looking fit for it either right now. I'm a little concerned that your inner bromance is about to run us off the road."

"I'm ok. We're almost there."

They pulled into the address that Amanda sent them, and saw the Rowdy Van and Farah's car parked outside an old, general store. They got out of the car and saw that the place had the door broken open. They went inside and saw the whole gang sitting around Pandora.

"What did we miss?" asked Todd.

"Dude," said Amanda with wide eyes. "soooo much."

* * *

When Farah and Amanda arrived to meet the other Rowdies, they found them in the abandoned general store. Pandora was sitting in the floor, looking ill.

"We tracked her to these woods." Said Martin.

"She tried to escape." said Vogel "We were afraid of what she would do if she touched us, so we had to improvise."

"Did you feed off her?" Amanda asked.

"Just enough to knock her out. We brought her in here since she seemed cold." Said Vogel.

Farah realized that Pandora was wearing one of Amanda's jackets from the van.

"Hungry too." Said Gripps as he pointed to a box of Pop Tarts that had been placed next to her. "She's still a little sick from the drain, but we got her food for when that's done."

Amanda knelt in front of Pandora. The girl seemed very small and sad. She had none of the eerie confidence that Farah had seen in her Blackwing photo.

"Who are you?" Amanda asked "What is it you want?"

Pandora hesitated, and then held out her hand.

"Don't do it, Boss!" Vogel cried "She messed us up good last time!"

"Amanda," Farah said "this could be a trap."

"Her ability." Said Amanda "Her file says she can stimulate or unlock what is inside you and intensify abilities. What if she can make my visions stronger?"

"Or," said Farah "what if she does something else? You know what she did to the Rowdies."

"Can you help me understand?" Amanda asked.

Pandora moved her hand closer to Amanda, but stopped before she touched her.

"I want to try." Said Amanda "Just stay here and keep an eye out."

 _I don't like this…_ Thought Farah, but she knew it would be pointless to try and talk Amanda out of it. She nodded and kept her fingers ready to pull her gun if needed.

Amanda leaned in and let Pandora put her hand on her cheek. Amanda's body went rigid. The Rowdies were watching closely over their leader.

After several minutes, Amanda reeled back and nearly collapsed on the floor. Farah's gun was drawn and pointed at Pandora, who remained calmly seated.

"What did you see, Boss?" Vogel asked.

Before Amanda could answer, Dirk and Todd were at the door.

"What did we miss?" asked Todd.

"Dude, soooo much."

"What did you see?" asked Cross "Your eyes looked all crazy."

"Did you have a vision?" asked Dirk.

"Yeah, but it was like a turbo vision! It was so clear, and I could see everything!"

"What did you see?" asked Farah.

"Pandora." said Amanda "And actually, her name is Ruby."

Everyone was paying attention as Amanda launched into the saga of Ruby's life.

* * *

"She was born in 1934 in New York, though she doesn't remember it there. Her mother died when she was three and her father moved them to Georgia."

"Georgia." Said Farah "That's where our client is originally from."

"Yes she is." Said Amanda "Coincidence?"

"No…" everyone turned to Dirk. He had the most Dirk looking expression that he'd had since getting Todd's memories. Even Todd could recognize that.

"What is it?" asked Todd.

"I can feel it." Said Dirk "The connection. All the connections. It's really strong right now." He made a pained face. "This is really strange feeling it as Todd."

"We'll get back to you in a minute, Dirk." Said Amanda "So, Ruby couldn't speak. Ever. Her dad was a woodworker and eventually realized that when she touched his hand before he did his work, he'd make better pieces. Faster too. And she started concentrating when she would touch him, and he would do even better and make things even faster. He jokingly called her his Good Luck Charm, but it was more than that."

She looked over at Todd. "I need your help to illustrate a point."

"Um, ok." Said Todd as he walked over to her.

Pandora held out her hand to him and he looked over at Amanda.

"Just take it. There's a point to this. I promise."

Todd hesitated, and then reached out and took her hand. Energy began rushing through him so fast that he couldn't think. His mind exploded with sound and color and light. He felt strange and powerful and helpless and confused. None of it made any sense, but it was so vivid and strong that he couldn't comprehend anything else. Then it was over. He blinked back into reality. He was standing in the same place, but Pandora was no longer holding his hand. She was sitting on the floor, casually eating the Pop Tarts the Rowdies had gotten her. Everyone else was staring at him.

"What just happened?" he asked.

"That was… beautiful." Said Farah.

"What?" said Todd "What was beautiful?"

"You don't remember?" asked Dirk.

"N… no. Am I losing my memories again?"

"No." said Amanda "The same thing eventually happened with her father. Her power got so strong that he would go into a trance and not even remember what happened."

"What did happen?!" Todd demanded.

"Todd," said Farah "you were singing."

That was not what he expected.

"I was… what?"

"Singing." Said Amanda with a huge grin. "She doesn't just unlock superpowers, but talents too. When she touched you, she unleashed and amplified your musical ability."

Todd felt very self-conscious. "Um… ok?"

"Her dad felt the same way." Said Amanda "She helped him make these amazing pieces, but it started to scare him." She looked over at Todd. "Thanks. You're done. You can sit down."

"Oh." Was all he could think so say as he went back to the chair by the door. He felt a little tired from the experience anyway.

"Rumors spread." Said Amanda "Whispers about a girl with magic powers. When money would get really tight, he would allow people to pay him for her 'magic touch'. But they were sworn to secrecy."

"Something like that never stays quiet." Said Farah.

Amanda nodded. "No. It doesn't. People were divided if she was an angel, a witch, or a hoax. They were eventually run out of town. Enter archeologist and Indian Jones wannabe John Rutherford aka your mysterious clients father. He rescued them from a mob full of torches and pitchforks on one condition. He had a stone he found that had strange powers. He wanted to use Ruby to try and unlock what it could do. She did, and she and her father moved on to start a new life elsewhere. He became a hard drinker. When it became abundantly clear that Ruby wasn't even aging, he became even more afraid. He was contacted by a government agent in what would later become Blackwing."

Amanda looked over at Ruby, who for the first time since Todd saw her, seemed sad.

"She was there a long time. Eventually she escaped with Bart's help and stumbled into us. She wanted to start a new life on her own on the outside, but the world has changed so much since then. After she hitched a ride and ran off, she realized she wasn't able to adjust to life out here like she thought. I mean, you realize she has spent decades in a facility where she has been either studied or ignored depending on the administration. She barely remembered what it was like to be treated like a person."

Todd saw a pained expression cross over Dirk's face. What must it have been like in there?

"The stone." Said Farah "What did she do to the stone?"

"She doesn't know." Said Amanda "She left right after. She hadn't really thought about it in ages."

"Now what?" asked Todd.

"Now Dirk." Said Amanda "Your turn."

"My turn what?" said Dirk.

Amanda gestured towards Ruby. "You've seen what she can do. She can activate your holistic thingy and set it into overdrive. You can solve this!"

"But it's not working very well." Said Dirk "Everything that makes me _me_ is foggy and feels far away. Including that."

"You still saw it." Said Todd "Just a few minutes ago you started to see something, and that's with all my crap in the way. You can do this."

Dirk hesitated, and then stepped towards Ruby, who stretched out her hand. Dirk took a deep breath, and then took it.

Dirk went rigid. Todd wondered if he looked like that when he had been singing. Which was an experience that he was still trying to decide how he felt about.

Dirk gasped and pulled away. His eyes were wide and shining and darting around like pinballs.

Farah grabbed his arm. "What do you see?"

"Everything." Said Dirk, and he sounded like Dirk.

"We have to go to the Rutherford's! That's they key!" Dirk sprinted out the door towards the car.

"Go." Said Amanda "The Rowdy 3 will take care of Ruby."

Todd and Farah were barely in the car when Dirk peeled out onto the road.

Dirk asked Farah to tell him everything her brother uncovered about Ms. Rutherford, as well as her findings on the other detectives. He kept interrupting with enthusiastic bursts of "Of course!" and other related things that he didn't explain, all the while muttering things neither Farah or Todd could quite hear. Todd wondered if Dirk was always this frustrating.

 _But at least he's Dirk._ He thought as they made the nearly twenty-minute drive in ten, terrifying minutes. Towards the end of the drive, Dirk's comments and mutterings were starting to shift into sounding like Todd. By the time they pulled into the driveway, he sounded completely like Todd again. Dirk smacked the steering wheel.

"I'm losing it!" he said angerly "It was so clear and now it's fading."

Farah opened her door. "Let's get in before it's gone completely. Maybe being here will get it going again."

Fredrick wordlessly answered the door.

"We need to see Ms. Rutherford." Said Farah.

"Library." Said Dirk "She always seems to be there."

They followed Fredrick into the library where Ms. Rutherford sat at a desk that was stacked with old notebooks. She looked up in surprise.

"Hello." She said politely as she stood. "Was I expecting you?" she looked at Todd "Good to see you. I heard you had an unfortunate encounter with the stone. Are you feeling alright?"

Todd was about to say something when Dirk took the box with the stone out of his jacket and put it on the desk.

"Wait, you had the stone with you?" said Farah.

"Yes. Didn't I tell you?" he sounded like himself.

She looked at Todd who said, "I didn't know either."

"Well, here is your stone Ms. Rutherford. Or should I say, Matthew."

Ms. Rutherford looked shocked. "No one has called me that in a great many years. I have missed that name."

"Why didn't you tell us about that?" asked Todd.

"I didn't think it was relevant to the case." She replied.

"Wrong." Said Dirk "You were afraid we would either think you were insane or that we would realize how powerful the stone is and try to steal it."

"None of the other detectives learned of my true identity. I am impressed. But you still don't know what you are talking about."

"That's where you're wrong." Said Dirk "I know because the same thing happened to me."

Todd leaned over to Farah. "Did we know about this?"

"News to me." Said Farah.

Dirk rolled his eyes. "You really don't understand where I'm going with this?" He pointed to Fredrick. "That's Matthew!"

"Wait," said Todd "I thought you said she was Matthew."

"She is! They both are! Two parts of Matthew just like we are two parts of Todd!"

Farah's eyes widened. "She has Matthew's memories."

"The story." Said Dirk "The real story and I believe we can solve this."

Ms. Matthew Rutherford sighed and made her way back to her seat. She gestured for them to sit.

"Fredrick was my middle name." she said "I wasn't sure what else to call him." She looked at Todd. "The stone took your memories. I assume you touched it."

"It fell on my chest during a shark attack. Long story."

"Ah," she said "it touched your clothing. That must be why you are doing so well. I had a theory that having a barrier between a person and the stone would help, but I was unable to test it. How much of your memories did you lose?"

"About fifteen years."

"How did Matthew lose his memories?" Dirk sounded like Todd again.

"My father discovered that if he stared into the stone, he could hear the memories of others. He believed it was an ancient, mystical device for keeping records. The memories of those who were passing. But the stone was old, and the memories had degraded. He was having trouble studying it and getting things clear. Memories blended together. It was faded and chaotic."

"So, he hired Ruby." Said Dirk in his Dirk voice.

Ms. Rutherford gasped. "None of the other detectives ever discovered her. Is she still alive?"

"Alive and remarkably unchanged." Said Dirk.

"My father hired her to touch the stone to bring it to life. His records are not complete, so I have had to guess, but I do believe he had touched the stone before and it did not have much effect due to the degradation. Or if it was taking his memoires, it was slow and mild enough that he did not notice. Which would explain his strange behavior before his death."

"Didn't it take Pan… Rubies memories when she touched it?" asked Todd.

"No." said Dirk "For whatever reason, her ability shielded her from that."

"I didn't know." Admitted Ms. Rutherford "I never saw her again. But my father touched it later and I believe it took all his memories. That is why he ran out into the road, confused and frightened. It was what got him killed." She paused and said "I was young and I found the stone and his notebooks. I was convinced that I could solve this mystery and make his death mean something. I would unlock the secrets of the stone and publish it in my father's honor. But I was foolish and touched the stone with my bare hand. Even my father was clever enough to wear gloves. I lost everything. Fredrick even lost the ability to speak. I was barely able to teach him how to walk again."

"How did you get the memories?" asked Todd.

"I assume the same way your friend got yours."

"Todd's memories," said Dirk with a British accent "had this golden glow on the rock."

"They were fresh." Said Ms. Rutherford "They glow brighter when they are fresh. Something that took me far too long to understand. You could stare at the old memories in green and blue and gray for hours and they will whisper into your mind. Stare at a gold vein, and it will overpower everything inside your mind."

"So how did it happen?" asked Todd.

Ms. Rutherford looked up with tears in her eyes. "I've never told anyone. It was all so strange and difficult to understand. You see, it has taken me nearly sixty years to understand what little I do about the stone." She put her hand on the box. "This was my father's dream. His greatest discovery. He was infatuated with it. I wanted to understand it. A servant girl, Emily, came into my office shortly after I lost my memories. She did not see me unconscious on the floor behind the desk. She was drawn to the intoxicating glow of the stone. All of my memories went to her. I was several years older and it overwhelmed the memories she had. It took a long time to remember being her at all. I was so confused when I woke up in this body. I supposed over the years, I have become a type of hybrid of both Matthew and Emily." She looked at the stone. "I never touched it again. And by the time I understood it enough to guess how it had happened, my father's memories had faded into the others as well. I couldn't find them. And the stone was getting weaker again. I was trapped in this body and had lost my father and did not understand the stone."

She looked up at the others. "I eventually made a new life for myself. Moved away where no one knew who I was. I tried for years to forget the stone. But then something would make me try again. I hired detectives, all of whom were worthless. Until you."

"Why did you hire us?" asked Farah "Records indicated that it has been over twelve years since you hired anyone to look into it."

"I'm old." She said "Fredrick's older. We are not long for this world. I wanted to understand. And… I wanted to see if I could find my father in there. To hear his voice one last time. To finish his work. You have to understand, I had many theories about the stone, but no way to test them. I had hoped that hiring someone would bring fresh perspective and possible solutions. I tried to explain some of my theories to the first two detectives, but they dismissed everything I said. One even refused to take my case because he believed my story was that of an insane old woman. When I heard of you and the… unusual cases you took, I thought you might be different. Possibly my last chance. I was right that you would help me understand it, but I regret that the stone has caused you pain."

"Actually," said Dirk "I have a plan to fix that."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

By the time Dirk, Todd, and Farah met up with the Amanda and Ruby back at the general store, Amanda had already had another "turbo vision" thanks to their new friend.

"Where are the rest of the Rowdy 3?" asked Farah.

"They went for a drive. They don't stay in one place very well. They'll be back in a bit." Said Amanda.

"So, what did you see in your vision?" asked Todd.

Amanda turned to Dirk. "Ok, this is the precision part. You have to touch the stone, with just one finger, for thirty-seven seconds. We'll time it and take the stone away when you're done."

"Right." Said Dirk. He turned to Todd. "Ready to be you again?"

"Are you?" Todd asked.

"This might get weird." Said Dirk "You may end up with a few of my memories."

"After everything that just happened, I think I can handle it." Said Todd.

Farah set her watch. "Ready."

Amanda opened the box and Dirk placed his index finger on the stone. Todd watched as Dirk went rigid. His eyes were darting around and he was trembling all over. Todd wasn't sure how he was still standing. As soon as the timer went off, Amanda pulled the box away and snapped the lid shut. Dirk collapsed and Todd caught him and gently lowered his limp body to the floor.

"You turn." Said Amanda.

Todd looked at her. "Shouldn't we wait until we see how Dirk is?"

"No." said Amanda "Best to do it while it's fresh. Remember, you're looking for the gold vein."

Todd nodded and took the box. He sat at a table and placed the box in front of him. He was about to open it when the door burst open and eight Blackwing ops entered the small store.

"Hands in the air!" a baritone voice shouted.

Todd, Amanda, Farah, and even Ruby put their hands up. Dirk was still unconscious on the floor.

Todd glanced longingly at the box. He was so close.

Through the door, walked Ken. He saw Dirk on the floor. "Is he alright?"

"He'll be fine." Said Farah "Why are you here?"

"I told you. I was looking for Project Pandora. And I thought you said you didn't know anything about her."

"We didn't." said Farah "We just met."

"Don't make this difficult." Said Ken as he looked at Ruby. "Just come quietly and we'll let everyone go."

Ruby slunk behind Amanda. She looked afraid.

"Maybe she doesn't want to be kept in a cage." Spat Amanda "Ever think of that?"

"She's dangerous." Said Ken "She needs to come with us."

"No." said Farah.

Ken's eyebrows raised. "Really? After all the protection I've given you? All the orders to have you taken in or eliminated that I vetoed? Do you have any idea how much danger I have put myself in just to keep you and your gang safe?"

"And we appreciate that." Said Farah "But it doesn't give you the right to take her."

"You have no idea what she is capable of." Said Ken "Her ability puts people in danger."

"She's been imprisoned for decades!" exclaimed Amanda "She deserves a chance to prove herself!"

Ken narrowed his gaze. "And we can discuss this when she is safely back in custody. I've been proposing a rehabilitation program to help integrate eligible subjects back into normal society and…"

"That's enough."

A woman walked in who Todd did not recognize. Though he didn't need to know who she was to recognize the authority dripping off her.

"Major Wilson." Said Ken "What are you doing here? I am handling this operation."

"Like you handled Project Marzanna? No. This threat will be neutralized. These people you put under protection claiming that they are no real threat have interfered with our operations for the last time."

Out of the corner of his eye, Todd saw a shadow move. He realized there was an operative closing in behind Amanda and Ruby.

"This is a mistake." Said Ken.

"Your opinion on the matter is no longer relevant." Said Wilson. She looked at the operatives. "Bring Project Pandora alive. If anyone else survives, bring them in too."

Todd leaped up from where he was sitting, scooped up the box, and hurled it at the man who was about to attack his sister from behind. It hit the man in the head and he dropped to the ground. The box broke open and the stone rolled out.

Todd's distraction was all Farah needed to attack the operative standing closest to her and take his gun.

There was so much chaos and confusion that the remaining soldiers could not fire their guns because they had an equal chance of hitting someone they were not supposed to shoot. They were not armed properly for hand to hand combat in an enclosed space. Blackwing was ill prepared for this environment as Todd, Amanda, and Farah went on the offensive.

Todd knocked one of them out before another one punched him across the face. He saw stars, but he kept fighting.

"Reinforcements!" Wilson cried into a radio.

Amanda howled and there was a chorus of howls in response. The Rowdy 3 were taking care of the soldiers outside, but they still had to survive everyone that was already in the store.

 _How many are there?_ Todd wondered as he continued to grapple. The bulky body armor they were wearing gave Todd a speed and agility advantage, but the soldier was roughly Todd's size and eventually knocked Todd to the floor.

Todd looked over and realized that the stone had rolled right next to him. He glanced up and saw Ruby. Her eyes were wide and pleading, looking through the fighting around her to the stone. Todd kicked the stone to her, being very careful to only touch it with the sole of his shoe.

Ruby grabbed the stone and held it up high. A blinding light burst from it and there was a sound like a crack of thunder. Todd was knocked back and paralyzed by the pain as he felt like his brain was being electrocuted. He couldn't even cry out before he lost consciousness.

* * *

Farah had successfully knocked out two guards and was working on a third. Blackwings strike was sloppy. They were armed and dressed for a firefight in an open area, not a close range scuffle in an enclosed area. They had seriously underestimated what Team Jacket was capable of.

Todd's quick thinking distraction had given them the opening they needed, but it was going to take a lot more for them to actually be able to walk away from this fight intact.

Farah punched out the third guard and turned just in time to see Ruby lift the stone above her head. There was a bright light and a loud crack. The stone shattered and colored light flew out of it like ghostly fireworks. Farah heard screaming and realized that the light was hitting people and causing them to cry out and run away in confusion and fear. At first she was afraid it would hit her too, but then she realized the light was actually moving around to attack the Blackwing operatives. As they swooped past Farah, she could hear the light whisper and laugh and screech. She realized it must have been the memories that had been stored inside the stone. Ruby was literally using them as weapons to attack their foes. Soon, all of Blackwing was gone. Farah could hear their cries fading as they ran further and further away.

Farah turned and saw Ruby standing over the shattered stone. She looked tired, but triumphant. Dirk was still blissfully unconscious on the floor. Amanda was kneeling on the floor next to Todd.

Farah raced over. "Is he ok?"

"I don't know." Said Amanda in a shaky voice. "I didn't see what happened. I can't wake him up."

Farah checked his pulse. He was alive. He had a huge bruise forming across his face. He was going to feel that when he woke up.

 _If he wakes up._ Farah mentally kicked herself for letting herself even think that.

Dirk moaned and opened his eyes.

"Did it work?" he asked as he pushed himself up. He looked around and saw the unconscious Blackwing soldiers. "What happened?"

"Blackwing." Said Amanda "You slept through the fight."

"There was a fight?!" Dirk exclaimed. It was then that Farah realized that he sounded like himself.

Soon everyone was crowded around Todd.

"Is he alright?" Dirk asked.

"We don't know." Said Farah. She looked over at Ruby, but she was characteristically silent.

"The stone is broken." Said Amanda "All this energy shot out of it and sent everyone scattering."

Dirk looked down at Todd. "Do… do you think… maybe he got his memories back."

"How would his memories know how to find him?" asked Farah "Is it possible they'd be drawn to him?"

"Would that really be so unbelievable?" asked Amanda "I mean, considering everything else that's happened?"

"Was this in your vision?" Dirk asked.

"No." Amanda admitted "I saw Todd with his eyes closed, but none of this. And he didn't have that shiner either. I think the future may have changed."

Farah looked over at Dirk. "How much do you remember about the stone?" asked Farah "Did it take you back to the shark attack?"

"Oh, I remember all of it." Said Dirk.

"Wait," said Amanda "are you telling us you still have Todd's memories?"

"No. Not like that. I don't remember his memories, but I remember having his memories if that makes sense. I remember waking up and thinking I was him, and I remember the things I said during that time, but I don't have any of the actual Todd memories that were in my head before. It's a bit like when you remember watching a show, but can't remember anything about the show itself. Does that make sense?"

Todd's breathing changed. They all looked down at him as he slowly opened his eyes. He looked back and forth between them all.

"Did it work?" he asked.

"You tell us." Said Farah.

Todd blinked, as if he was trying hard to clear his head. He looked at Dirk and then lifted up his hands and looked at them. "I'm Todd now, right? Like actually Todd's memories in Todd's body?"

"Well," said Amanda "I can't say for sure whose memories you have, but you're in Todd's body alright."

Todd sat up quickly. "I remember! I remember the day you were born and being on tour and meeting Dirk and Farah and last week and…" his excited voice trailed off.

"What's wrong?" Dirk asked.

"I… I remember being you. For this last day when you had my memories. I remember that too."

"Wait," said Amanda "so you both have those memories?"

"That's… odd." Said Farah.

"Compared to what?" said Amanda.

* * *

When Pandora released the energy from the mystery stone, Ken was hit with a blast of panic and confusion. The thoughts that didn't feel like his own were so strong and vivid as he fled the tiny store, but they faded like a dream as he stood deep in the woods with no memory of how he got there.

He had no idea how far he was from anyone else. His team was gone, and he knew Wilson would dump the blame on him. He sat down on the ground and put his head in his hands.

 _What have I done?_ He wondered. He'd really thought he was doing the right thing. Neutralizing threats. Improving living conditions for subjects. Embracing and expanding upon the amazing scientific discoveries linked to Blackwing's work. He thought he could change the operation from the inside. He was wrong.

He felt the barrel of a gun press against the back of his head. He swallowed hard.

"Are you an operative?" he asked in a voice that was surprisingly even considering how scared he was.

"Yes." Said a male voice.

"Did Wilson send you?"

There was a pause. "You were never supposed to walk out of that general store alive."

Ken felt his stomach drop. She'd planned this. It never really was his operation after all.

"Well," he said "just get it over with."

Ken heard a gunshot, but he felt no pain. He heard a loud thunk behind him. He turned and saw the soldier laying dead on the ground with a bullet hole through his head. Ken looked upward and saw Bart standing with a gun in her hand. While normally he would have been thankful, the look in her eyes gave him no comfort.

"You're here to kill me this time, aren't you?" he said.

She nodded. "I fought it a long time. I didn't want to do it. But I see now that if I don't do it, someone else will. And since we're best friends and all, I think it should be me."

Ken felt a pull in his chest. "You only kill bad people." He said "I honestly thought I was going to do enough good in the long run that it would counter all the bad stuff I had to do first. That your cosmic scale would tip in my favor if I could just wait it out."

"I'm sorry." She said "I've never, you know, not wanted to kill one of my targets before. I guess that means you're still special."

Ken laughed. He couldn't help it. Everything was so horrible and ridiculous. How could he have ever guessed he'd end up here? Then again, how could he not?

"Goodbye Bart." He said "I want you to know I'm not mad. I earned this." He looked up at her. "Just do me a favor and don't go back to Blackwing. I have a feeling it's going to get a lot worse there."

"Ok." She said. Her face shifted. She looked sad. "Goodbye Ken. I wish it wasn't like this."

"I know." He said with tears threatening to spill over. "It's alright. I shouldn't have made you come to this."

She fired the gun… and nothing happened.

The two of them stared for a moment at the gun, and then at each other. Then Bart let out a howl and tackled Ken. At first he thought she was trying to strangle him to death, and then he realized she was hugging him and laughing.

"You're alive!" she cried "I don't have to kill you!"

Ken burst out into relieved laughter himself as he embraced his friend.

"Let's go!" said Bart "Let's leave Blackwing behind and do something new!"

"Like what?" asked Ken

"Like whatever!" cried Bart.

"Ok." Said Ken with a smile "Let's go."

* * *

Todd finished loading the last suitcase into the limo.

"Are you sure this is all you need?" he asked.

Mr. Rutherford nodded. "This place… everything in it is replaceable. It is time to start over. Besides, it will only be a matter of time before Blackwing regroups and comes for poor Ruby." She gestured to the woman at her side. "I have more money than years and need to start fresh almost as desperately as she does. Please excuse me if I do not communicate where this will be. I think it would be best for the three of us if we just vanish." She said in reference to herself, Ruby and Fredrick.

"I am sorry about the stone being destroyed." Said Dirk.

"It was unfortunate." She replied "But unavoidable. Better destroyed than in the hands of Blackwing." She shuttered at the thought. "This is probably for the best, and you did help me understand the workings of the stone a bit more. I am thankful for that."

Todd helped her into the car. She handed him an envelope. "For your services. And also compensation for any unfortunate dealings with the stone."

Fredrick climbed into the car next, followed by Ruby.

"Good luck, Ruby." Said Farah.

Ruby smiled a small smile as she sat in the limo. The three detectives watched it drive away before they drove back to the apartment.

Todd basked in the familiar as he walked into his apartment. It felt so good to know that place. To run his fingertips over the doorframe and feel the familiarity of the rough wood.

 _Home._

He collapsed heavily onto the couch. He sank into the spot on the cushion where it was extra worn. He breathed in the faint whiff of pipe tobacco from the couch's previous owner. He leaned into the back of the couch and smiled.

The cat jumped up on his lap.

"Well, hello there little Shark." He said as he scratched behind her ears. She purred and rubbed against his chest.

"What is that thing doing on your lap?" asked Farah.

"Making herself cozy." Said Todd as Shark curled up and made a happy, buzzing sound as she purred.

"She's dangerous." Said Farah.

"Only when she's upset. And she's pretty happy right now." Said Todd as he stroked her fuzzy back.

Farah sat down next to Todd and sighed. She reached over and gently stroked the happy kitty. "We need to figure out what to do with her."

"Well," said Dirk as he stood by the coffee table "you said we needed more security here. I'd dare say an attack shark is even better than an attack dog."

"Plus it sounds cooler." Said Todd.

"You two are insane." Said Farah who was only half joking. She looked at the cat. "I've got some tuna if you want it. Better to keep you well fed so you don't eat my friends."

Dirk looked excited. "I'll go make her a bed!" he bounded out of a room like the kid he always would be.

Farah got up to get the tuna and Todd took her hand. She looked over at him.

"I know this has been… odd lately. And even more complicated than usual. But, I want you to know that, I'm still in this. Even if we aren't really sure yet what 'this' is."

Farah smiled that smile that made Todd feel simultaneously weak in the knees and strong enough to take on the world. "So am I." she said. She looked like she was about to say more, and then Dirk was back with a tangle of cloth he had tried to twist and braid into a kitty bed. They both knew this was a conversation for later, so they released each other's hand and Farah went back to getting the cat some food. As soon as Shark head the can opener, she raced off Todd's lap and into the kitchen.

Dirk looked disappointed. "I was going to show her the new bed."

"She'll be back." Said Todd "Just let her get some food and I'm sure she'll be very excited."

Dirk suddenly got a very serious look on his face. "Do you think she'd prefer a waterbed?"

Todd laughed. "We will never have a normal pet, will we?"

"Oh no." said Dirk "And who would want one when you can have a shark that plays with a string?!"

Dirk sat on the couch next to his friend as Todd put his feet up on the coffee table.

"It feels so good to be me again." Said Todd.

Dirk nodded. "I have to admit, as much as I enjoy having you for a best assisfriend, I didn't much care for having you inside my head. Also, I feel the need to apologize for the things I said to you during that time."

"You really don't need to. I actually remember saying them to myself and I felt pretty justified. I earned it."

"No." said Dirk "You didn't." He paused a moment and said "It is rather odd that we have nearly an entire day of overlapping memories. Memories so clear that we both feel like they are our own."

"Well, they kinda are. I mean, both of us were involved in a way. And besides, I've lost count of everything about our lives that is weird."

Dirk looked unsure if he wanted to say the next part, but he went ahead. "Do you remember singing?"

Todd tensed up a bit. "I remember being you listening to me sing."

Dirk turned to face his friend. "When I was you, or part you, or whatever, I felt so connected to that song. Like I understood it in my soul. But now, I remember the lyrics and how lovely it was, but I have no idea what it meant. Do you know?"

Todd nodded. "It was a love song of sorts. Not romantic really. More about love and acceptance and family, It was what I was trying to find while I was filling my life with fame and sex and drugs. It was my heart cry for something that, at nineteen, I wasn't sure even existed."

Dirk hesitated. "Did… did you ever find it?"

"Yeah." Said Todd "I think I did."

* * *

The moon was full and the constellations in the sky were very different than the ones they had left behind in the States. Matthew Rutherford stood in her new library and carefully poured out the green dust that was once the Memory Stone onto the table. She looked up at Pandora. "Are you ready?"

The ageless woman nodded.

A slow smile spread across Matthew's face. "Then let us begin."

The End


End file.
